We present to your attention the preview of the match of the third round in group G.
June 28 21:00, Round 3, Group G, Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Stadium Referee Damir Skomina (Slovenia) England and Belgium in matches against Panama and Tunisia looked very good and now appear in the cohort of the favorites of the whole tournament, although there are very few before it called among the 3-4 teams that can win the World Cup.
At the moment, the teams have identical indicators of points scored and conceded goals, and England is ahead only due to fewer yellow cards.
A match for the first place, as many could have christened this duel, but ... Even the Belgian media asked Roberto Martinez to take second place in the group. The fact is that the team, which will be the second in Group G, will get into that part of the grid, where the strongest team sees Spain, and that can get caught on the way only in the semifinals. The winner of the group can already meet with Colombia in 1/8 (play today at 17:00), and in 1/4 the meeting with Brazil is likely (while the second team will play if it goes to the quarter-finals with the winner of the pair Sweden-Switzerland).
Roberto Martinez is not expected on the field of three major attacking players Azar - Lukaku - Mertens. Everyone has a different kind of damage, and rest will not hurt them. The company and Vermaelen, perhaps, will make their debut in the tournament. Vertonghen, De Bruijne and Meunier under the threat of disqualification if they receive another yellow card, so they can also stay on the bench.
The English players who are under threat of skipping 1/8 finals are two - Walker and Loftus-Chick. Gareth Southgate is unlikely to be in this match to risk Dela Alli, who was injured, perhaps for the first time in this World Cup will be played by several players. Harry Kane, probably, will remain in the start, as he is the main favorite on the gold boot of the tournament.
Interesting Facts:.
- Harry Kane and Romel Lukaku scored at least twice in their first two matches at the World Cup. Previously, this achievement was subdued only Sandor Kochish (Hungary, 1954) and Guillermo Stabile (Argentina, 1930) - their teams reached the final.
- England and Belgium twice met at the world championships. The British have minimally won in 1990, and in 1954 a draw was fixed 4: 4.
- England have already scored 8 goals in this World Cup, there were more than once, on the victorious World Cup-1966 (11 goals).
- The last player, having scored 5 or more goals in the group stage of the World Cup, was Oleg Salenko (6 in 1994). Lukaku and Kane have a chance to catch up with him.
- Belgium does not lose 11 consecutive matches in the group stages of the mundials.
It is interesting that in 1998 they did not leave the band, playing three times in a draw.
- Belgium can become the first team in history, won three consecutive crushing victories.
Approximate compositions:.
England: Pickford - Jones, Stones, Cahill - Arnold, Dyer, Delph, Rose - Lingard, Rushford - Kane Belgium: Courtois - Alderweideld, Company, Vermaelen - Januzai, Fellaini, Dembele, Chadli - Thielemans, T. Azar - Batshuayi forecast 0: 2.