Belgium set for Canada test

As a huge favorite, Belgium will go into the Group F match in the 2022 World Cup against Canada.

With the latest shocking result in Argentina – Saudi Arabia clash, Belgium won’t take this opponent with kids’ gloves.

If we could witness two halves in the Argentina clash, more shockers could be waiting for us at the Mundial in Qatar.

Belgium will take on  Canada on November 23 at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, and football fans will hope that Eden Hazard will lead them to a good start.

After coming third in the last edition, Belgium will begin the hunt for the title against a Canadian team with strong and young players who are confident and fearless.

Having waited 36 years for this, Canada would have hoped for a better first match than Belgium, which could steamroll them in minutes.

Meanwhile, it is the final chance for many of their ‘Golden Generation’ to win a major tournament. This is expected to be the last World Cup Hazard, at least.

Having failed to succeed with such huge talents at his disposal, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez is also under pressure to produce for the nation. The closest the former Everton boss had got were defeat in Euro 2020 and the Nations League’s finals.

Although they secured the ticket to Qatar with consummate ease once again during UEFA qualifying, averaging over three goals per game, it is now time to prove it. 

Despite being a team with massive talents, Belgium often underperforms when it matters at major tournaments, such as their defeat against Italy in last summer’s European Championships.

Following their defeat in the  Nations League elimination to France, where they lost to a late Theo Hernandez strike after being 2-0 up, and a loss to Egypt in a warm-up friendly, Belgium needs to up their fame. They have lost back-to-back games and have not lost three on the spin since 2014.

 Manchester City maestro Kevin De Bruyne will be a key player for this team that scored 16 goals at the 2018 World Cup.

With Lukaku’s injury troubles,  Martinez must choose an alternative up front. Michy Batshuayi’s form in Turkey has been impressive this season, in addition to his excellent scoring stats for Belgium.

Meanwhile, Canada scored the most goals and conceded the fewest to top the final section of qualification in the CONCACAF region ahead of Mexico and the USA.

This is a huge feat for a largely young and inexperienced squad at this level. Since they will be hosting the next edition, Canada can use this tournament as a free hit in their preparation.

With their stats of not concerning more than one goal average in a game, Belgium will have to dig deep to get a win.

 

Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed