In a rematch of their group stage encounter, Belgium and England will play for bronze on Saturday at 16:00 in Saint Petersburg.
Belgium vs England preview
When they faced each other for the first time in Group G of the 2018 World Cup, both teams had secured their Round of 16 spots. Roberto Martinez and Gareth Southgate sent their second units in order to save energy for the knockout round. Neither squad was really eager to attack. The match moved along under constant whistles from an unsatisfied crowd. Adnan Januzaj scored the goal which made the difference and Belgium finished first.
Since all yellow cards were scrapped before the semi-finals, the managers will have full rosters at their disposal. Even if this is a game for pride, they might still opt to use players who weren’t involved often previously. England especially, since many of its players were exhausted in the overtime against Croatia. Kieran Trippier is one who likely to miss the contest. Therefore, this game might not differentiate too much than the one in the group.
Neither team has ever won a World Cup bronze medal before and both have lost one third-place match. Belgium’s biggest success overall was a fourth-place finish in 1986, while The Three Lions lost their third-place playoff four years later.
Belgium vs England prediction
In the first encounter, the stakes were lower than now. With nothing to lose, the hope is that both teams play relaxed football for a change, with plenty of chances and at least a couple of goals. Belgium will likely be the more motivated team because they’ve never won a medal before. Also, they’ll be less tired than the Englishmen. Meanwhile, the young English team could struggle to recover from the disappointing loss to Croatia.
