Things appear to be clear in Group G. Belgium and England have three points each and were the superior opponents in their duels against Panama and Tunisia, respectively. It would’ve been more interesting if Belgium had to meet England now, but the draw wanted them to play Tunisia first. That’ll happen at 14:00 in Moscow’s Spartak Stadium.
Panama held on for one half and then Dries Mertens’ blast kicked them in the gut. There was no way back after that goal anyway, but Romelu Lukaku made sure there wasn’t, with two goals of his own. The lack of a quality left back has forced Roberto Martinez’s hand, leaving him with no choice but to play with three center backs and two wings backs (Meunier and Carrasco), one of them natural, the other one improvised. It didn’t work ideally against Panama, but it worked good enough. However, that type of formation leaves a hole in the midfield. Kevin De Bruyne is asked to do too much as the only creator, with Axel Witsel playing a more destructive role. Players like Nacer Chadli or Moussa Dembele would be of great help to De Bruyne. Unfortunately, the way the Belgian team is shaped, there’s no place for them in the lineup.
Tunisia was poor against England. At least that’s how it appeared compared to all the other teams in the tournament. Saudi Arabia in the match against Russia and Nigeria in the game versus Croatia were probably the only teams that played worse. Despite of that, Maaloul’s men nearly earned a point because of Kyle Walker’s recklessness. The captain Wahbi Khazri is Tunisia’s best player and the only one who can do something individually with the ball at his feet. The rest of the team left a very weak impression.
The Eagles of Carthage will do their best to keep Eden Hazard and the boys away from their goal. Judging by how the game against Panama went, work is going to be cut out for them. All signs point in Belgium’s direction. Anything but a win for The Red Devils will be a huge surprise.
Prediction
Belgium 2-0 Tunisia
