England and Belgium face each other in a London derby scrimmage, with plenty of Chelsea and Tottenham players on both sides. As both managers balance rotation with momentum, how might the game shape up?
Gary Cahill is one of the two Chelsea players not to play yet in the World Cup. England’s match against Belgium may be his last chance to prove himself, unless Gareth Southgate over-thinks himself into under-rotation and stays with John Stones and Harry Maguire. Here are our predictions for the match.
Khaled Abdallah: 0 – 0. I’m expecting a dull draw as both squads focus more on staying healthy and rotating their XI’s than trying to win the match. This might become even more of a farce if Japan wins Group H, as both teams might try to finish second to face the Samurai Blue over Colombia or Senegal.
Charlie Pizey: England 2 – 1 Belgium. With Belgium likely to play a weakened side there’s a large possibility of an England victory. Ruben Loftus-Cheek will most likely start again for a mildly weakened England side, but one that retains its core of players. Some may argue the players will take it easy, knowing second place could lead to an easier run in the tournament. But it’s unlikely any professional footballer would take any World Cup match easy.
Barrett Rouen: England 7 – 1 Belgium. Only getting better from the future champions of the world. King Harry with a hat trick. Loftus-Cheek with a stunner. John Stones to score one at both ends. Thibaut Courtois to be terrible. #ItsComingHome
Scott Brant: 2 – 2. With the uncertainty of who may start and who won’t, it’s a toss up. Thibut Courtois will keep England from beating the injury-riddled Belgium team. Harry Kane with two. Dries Mertens to score and assist.
Abhishek Pancholi: England 1 – 2 Belgium. Gareth Southgate’s men have been surprisingly good so far in this tournament, but the game against Belgium is their first real test. Belgium should take a two-goal lead by the 60′, forcing Southgate to bring on his big guns. England then manage to snatch one goal back but it turns out to be too little, too late.
Daniel Mcclue: 0 – 0. But 7-6 to England on yellow cards so it gets drawn from lots because that sounds fun. It’s tough to see how either team will play this game. Rotating players may seem like a way to concede the game but the fringe players will be looking to play well so that they get chosen for the later rounds. If Marcus Rashford plays he could well get a hattrick.
Next: Chelsea, Tottenham supply seven players to England-Belgium combined XI