Early favorites of Group F Belgium, who are now facing the prospect of going home, are getting ready for their crucial match against Croatia on Thursday at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. The Red Devils are in third place in the group after one win and one loss, while its counterparts grab the top rank with 4 points.
Despite beginning the competition with a scoreless draw against Morocco, the Checkered Ones struck back hard and defeated Canada by a score of 4-1 in their second group match. They now only need a draw to advance to the tournament’s round of 16, with a win would help them summit on top in the group.
Since finishing third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Red Devils couldn’t hold on to their golden legacy in the current edition, hence facing the threats of leaving the Qatari land right before the start of the Last 16. They now require Must-Win against FIFA Ranked no. 13 Croatia to fancy their chances for staying alive in this event and then wait to see Morocco and Canada’s match results.
The semi-finalists of the last edition of the FIFA World Cup and unbeatables of the previous eight games, Croatia are hot favorites over a relatively pressurized opponent Belgium. However, if the brave Red Devils team scores an early goal, they might confound the Checkered Ones.
Croatia possible starting lineup:
Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Kramaric, Livaja, Perisic
Belgium possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Castagne, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Meunier, Tielemans, Witsel, Carrasco; De Bruyne, E. Hazard; Batshuayi
