Belgium, making their 14th appearance in the competition, are undoubtedly one of the dark horses of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Their opponents, Canada, are playing in just their second World Cup. The Red Devils finished third and were the top scorers in the previous edition. The Maple Leafs failed to score a single goal when they played in the 1986 World Cup. The masses have labelled Belgium as clear favorites in this Group F matchup between two contrasting sides. However, upsets in the history of the World Cup have always been unpredictable.
No other team, including champions France, scored as many goals as Belgium in the previous World Cup. The Red Devils scored a total of 18 goals in seven games. Additionally, Belgium had a 100% record in the group stage beating Panama, Tunisia, and England. They beat Japan and Brazil in the knockouts before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat against France in the semifinal. They beat England a second time in the same tournament when they nabbed a win in the third-place playoff.
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Apart from scoring the most goals, Belgium also set the World Cup record for most individual goalscorers for one team in the same edition. The Red Devils had ten different goalscorers plus an own goal that came via Brazil’s Fernandinho. This time around, Roberto Martinez’s men will have their sights fixated on the golden trophy and will definitely push their limits to the max to achieve the glorious feat.
The side from Western Europe will mostly be without their talisman Romelu Lukaku when they face Canada. Apart from that, the presence of Leandro Trossard and Jan Vertonghen in the matchday squad is not guaranteed as well, as both players were recovering from their respective niggles. Losing Lukaku will be a mighty blow for Belgium as they have not included Divock Origi in their squad for this edition. However, 22-year-old Ikoma Openda did score after coming on in their last friendly loss to Egypt.
Canada, on the other hand, are not plagued by injuries. The only fitness concern the Maple Leafs had was the recovery of Alphonso Davies. Earlier this week, it seemed that the Bayern Munich full-back would miss the opener, but a quick recovery has brought him back in contention to start the game or at least be on the bench.
In addition to that, Canada will be hankering to see their skipper, Atiba Hutchinson, close in on a century of international appearances. So far, the 39-year-old midfielder has earned 98 caps for the Maple Leafs. He is expected to wear the armband and start against Belgium, becoming one of the oldest players in history to feature in the World Cup.
Canada are yet to get off the mark in the World Cup finals. Their previous and only stint in the World Cup of 1986 ended with them scoring no goals and earning no points. This time around, the Maple Leafs will be eager to end that drought, but it will be a difficult feat to achieve against Belgium on Wednesday. The Canucks find themselves in a tough group and will probably look to go out all guns blazing for points only against Morocco. As for the approach against Belgium and Croatia, the Canadians could be content with a defensive approach.
Team News:
Romelu Lukaku could be out for the first game, while Leandro Trossard and Jan Vertonghen are doubtful for Belgium. Canada’s key player Alphonso Davies has fallen under the doubtful category. Reports suggest that the player is fit, but John Herdman will make his decision close to the game.
Form Guide: (Last five matches, most recent first)
Belgium: L - L - W - W - D
Canada: W - D - L - W - L
Betting Odds: (Bet365)
Belgium: 1.50
Canada: 6.50
Draw: 4.33
Predicted Line-Ups:
Belgium Possible Starting 11 (3-4-3): Courtois; Theate, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Castagne, Witsel, Tielemans, Carrasco; De Bruyne, Mertens, Hazard.
Canada Possible Starting 11 (3-4-1-2): Borjan; Johnston, Vitoria, Miller; Davies, Kone, Hutchinson, Adekugbe; Hoilett; Larin, Buchanan.
