Next up in our Group H assessment is Belgium. Regarded as one of the dark horses for the tournament, Marc Wilmots’ side will be hoping to live up to their billing and qualify from what looks a relatively straightforward first three fixtures. Up first is a showdown with underdogs Algeria on Tuesday June 17 at 5pm before the Belgians square up to Russia five days later at 5pm followed by a game against South Korea on Thursday June 26 at 9pm:
Road to Qualification
The Belgians eased through qualifying, finishing nine points ahead of any other team in a group that also contained Croatia, Serbia, Scotland, Wales and Macedonia. Winning eight and drawing two of their 10 fixtures, Wilmots’ side scored 18 times (though managed more than two goals on just one occasion) and conceded four times, with six clean sheets accrued.
Most Starts Thibaut Courtois, Axel Witsel (10) Jan Vertonghen (9), Kevin de Bruyne, Toby Alderweireld (8), Thomas Vermaelen, Christian Benteke, Moussa Dembele (7), Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard (6)
Most Goals Kevin de Bruyne (4), Vincent Kompany, Kevin Mirallas, Christian Benteke, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku (2)
Most Assists Kevin de Bruyne (4),Dries Mertens, Jan Vertonghen (2)
The Key Targets
Since qualifying for Brazil 2014, the Belgians stumbled in a couple of friendlies before recently finding their form. Back-to-back defeats against Colombia and Japan weren’t helped by a lack of domestic game time for de Bruyne before a winter move from Chelsea to Wolfsburg boosted his match sharpness. A draw with Ivory Coast in March preceded wins over Luxembourg (5-1) and Sweden (2-0) over the past week or so, with the in-form Romelu Lukaku showing he’s a more than able deputy for the stricken Christian Benteke, with four goals in those two matches, whilst de Bruyne chipped in with a goal and a couple of assists.
Thibaut Courtois – at 5.9 in FantasyiTeam – is nailed-on between the sticks and once again excelled on loan at Atletico Madrid last term, though with two goals to his name over the qualifying period, skipper Vincent Kompany may be the backline option of choice for Fantasy managers. Kompany is the priciest option at the back, though, and comes in at 6.2 in FantasyiTeam. Either Thomas Vermaelen or Daniel Van Buyten (who has scored 10 goals at international level) will partner the City captain in the heart of defence and, whilst Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen (5.8 and 6.0 in FantasyiTeam) look to have the full-back berths sewn up, both are natural centre-backs and could face a tough time in the conditions against pacy wide men. Alderweireld started just 10 league games for Atletico Madrid in 2013/14 and Vertonghen struggled with a calf injury towards the latter part of the previous campaign, suggesting they may both be a little short in match sharpness. Similarly, neither Vermaelen or Van Buyten were regulars at Arsenal and Bayern last time around, whilst Kompany missed 10 league games through injury for City – with one clean sheet in their last seven matches, some may even decide to overlook the Belgian defence altogether.
Axel Witsel is Wilmots’ preferred option in the deep-lying central midfield role. He’s the only outfield player to start every qualifying match and whilst his consistency of game time is unparalleled, he’s unlikely to bring home attacking points – games which reward defensive contributions should heighten his appeal. Elsewhere in the middle of the park, Marouane Fellaini, Nacer Chadli and Moussa Dembele will vie for the two remaining positions in front of Witsel, though not one of the three have impressed domestically heading into the tournament. Given that both Fellaini and Chadli started five qualifiers and Dembele seven, it seems there’s little between them in Wilmots’ thoughts, suggesting we would be best to look for more definite contenders.
Luckily, Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku all look viable options. After appearing from the bench in the first couple of qualifiers, de Bruyne started the subsequent eight but despite scoring twice the number of goals (four) and assists (four) than any Belgian player, he remains very reasonably priced in FantasyiTeam at just 5.9 compared to Hazard’s 7.5. The latter looks to have penalties to boost his appeal but his former Chelsea team-mate could be the wisest pick. As mentioned above, Lukaku has thrived in recent friendlies and looks a real in-form option for those thinking of doubling up on Wilmots’ side, with de Bruyne set to find his way into many teams. Coming in at 9.1 in FantasyiTeam, we’ll be hoping he improves upon the inconsistency that blighted some of his Fantasy returns at Everton.
The Long Shots
Whilst the front three looks nailed-on, Wilmots has some intriguing options to call upon off the bench. Both Kevin Mirallas and Adnan Januzaj offer alternatives on the flanks – the direct running and eye for goal of the Everton man, allied with Januzaj’s trickery and ability to put the opposition on the back foot, both look strong back-up options for the Belgians to call on midway through the second-half. Mirallas was utilised as a sub four times in qualifying and netted on two of those occasions – in the searing conditions, his fresh pair of legs off the bench could still pick up the points. You can snap them up in FantasyiTeam for 6.3 and 5.3 respectively.
Further Analysis
Group A – Brazil,Cameroon, Croatia, Mexico
Group B – Australia, Chile, Holland, Spain
Group C – Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan
Group D – Costa Rica, England, Italy, Uruguay
Group E – Ecuador, France, Honduras, Switzerland
Group F –Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria,
Group G – Germany, Ghana, Portugal, USA
Group H – Algeria
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Relevant Community Articles
Scouting Belgium by Applebonkers, Fantasy World Cup Early Options by Bowstring the Trout, The World Cup – The Players by the Sarjeant, World Cup Qualifiers – Goals Scored and Conceded by Blue Lion.
9 years, 11 months agowho do we think will come 2nd in groups E and F? working on the assumption that france and argentina top the groups