The World Cup 2018 has been a story of surprises, uprises and also disappointment for a few of its prime contenders. Germany, the reigning Champions got knocked out from the group stages, however, the heartbreak continued on the opening day of the Round of 16 battle which saw Portuguese great Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentine icon Lionel Messi, the greatest of this generation, eliminated from the competition upon suffering defeats over Uruguay and France respectively.
The surprise continued when hosts Russia knocked out contenders Spain
in tie-breaker and Belgium, the dark horse of the competition, came
back from 2-0 behind to script a scintillating 3-2 win versus
sensational Japan. The Red Devils will now lock horns with Brazil, the
five-time champions, who had a slow start but gained momentum later on
and booked a berth in Last 8 following a commendable 2-0 win against
Mexico. But the real challenge starts now when they will be contesting a
star-studded Belgium lineup and the Selecao, under Tite, need to be
cautious in order to avoid yet another World Cup upset.
Brazil vs Belgium Injuries And Suspensions:
Brazil have a couple of injury worries as Douglas Costa and Marcelo were ruled out versus Mexico with thigh and back injuries. Casemiro will miss out the quarter-final clash due to a suspension upon picking up two yellow cards but Danilo, the right-back who lost his place to Fagner due to fitness concerns, is back in contention. Costa and Marcelo, meanwhile, returned to training and should recover before the Belgium outing on Friday night.
Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, on the other hand, have a fully fit and available squad with no injuries and suspension.
Belgium:
Draw: 0
Belgium Win: 1
Roberto Firmino is likely to make an impression from the bench similar to his performance against Mexico where he notched a late goal to double the lead.
Belgium had a thrilling victory over Japan and the form of hitman Romelu Lukaku and skipper Eden Hazard hand them enough boost in order to clinch a place in the semis. Dries Mertens and Kevin De Bruyne will be threats too whereas the introduction of Marouane Fellaini to execute some alternate plan might also trouble the Brazilians.
Belgium: W-W-W-W-W-W
Draw: 5/2
Belgium: 11/4
Brazil vs Belgium Injuries And Suspensions:
Brazil have a couple of injury worries as Douglas Costa and Marcelo were ruled out versus Mexico with thigh and back injuries. Casemiro will miss out the quarter-final clash due to a suspension upon picking up two yellow cards but Danilo, the right-back who lost his place to Fagner due to fitness concerns, is back in contention. Costa and Marcelo, meanwhile, returned to training and should recover before the Belgium outing on Friday night.
Brazil vs Belgium Probable Lineups:
Brazil:Belgium:
Brazil vs Belgium Last Meeting:
Their last meeting occurred back in 2002 World Cup where the Brazilians clinched a 2-0 win in the second round banking on second half goals from Rivaldo and Ronaldo. Brazil eventually went on winning their fifth World Cup title defeating Germany in the final.Brazil vs Belgium Head-To-Head Stats:
Brazil Win: 3Draw: 0
Belgium Win: 1
Brazil vs Belgium Key Players:
Neymar is returning to his best as the ‘Poster Boy’ of Brazil football needs to keep up his game to claim the silverware. Philippe Coutinho is in blistering form and a stunning second-half display of Willian assure enough attacking flair in the Selecao armory. The defensive duo of Thiago Silva and Miranda has been standout so far but Gabriel Jesus’ form as the ‘number 9’ remains a concern.Roberto Firmino is likely to make an impression from the bench similar to his performance against Mexico where he notched a late goal to double the lead.
Belgium had a thrilling victory over Japan and the form of hitman Romelu Lukaku and skipper Eden Hazard hand them enough boost in order to clinch a place in the semis. Dries Mertens and Kevin De Bruyne will be threats too whereas the introduction of Marouane Fellaini to execute some alternate plan might also trouble the Brazilians.
Brazil vs Belgium Current Form ( Latest Result First):
Brazil: W-W-W-D-W-WBelgium: W-W-W-W-W-W
Brazil vs Belgium Betting Odds (Subject To Change):
Brazil: 11/10Draw: 5/2
Belgium: 11/4
0 comments:
Post a Comment