The hour is almost upon us. Whether you are a neutral supporter or in a partisan camp, you have been waiting to finally see Belgium this World Cup. With so much hype surrounding the Rode Duivels, the entire footballing world is seemingly anxious to see what they can do this summer. With immense attacking talent, dynamic and gritty midfielders and a host of big name Premier League defenders at the disposal of Marc Wilmots, there have never been so much pressure surrounding a non-tournament favorite.
The world cannot wait to see Chelsea’s Eden Hazard put defenses to the sword this summer. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Algeria have become a regular of sorts at the World Cup, qualifying out of Africa more often than not as of late. They do not wow you on paper, but like most African sides, they are possess the ability to out-work you, out-muscle you and they’ll have plenty of pace. They have an interesting blend of experience but also plenty of youth in the side, but they will always defend as if their life depended on it – they truly never make it easy for their opponent.
Can Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Vincent Kompany and the rest of Belgium’s second golden generation dazzle in Brazil and take the world by storm this summer? They will have to go through a rugged Algeria first, who, despite being at very slim odds to make it out of the group, have every chance to do so. Here no is our preview and predictions.
"Projected Starting XI’sBelgium: Thibaut Courtois; Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Toby Alderweireld; Axel Witsel, Marouane Fellaini; Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Kevin Mirallas; Romelu LukakuAlgeria: Rais M’Bolhi; Djamel Mesbah, Rafik Halliche, Madjid Bougherra, Carl Medjani, Faouzi Ghoulam; Saphir Taider, Medhi Lacen, Hassan Yebda, Sofiane Feghouli; Islam Slimani"
Despite his woeful season at Manchester United this season, Fellaini is often times excellent for Belgium. He will be key for them, as long as he avoids card trouble. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Key’s for Belgium:
– Masking the fact that they do not have any real traditional talent at wing-back. They will be using center-back’s on the wings, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but their lack of overall pace there compared to other teams may end up being a liability.
– Keeping Fellaini out of card trouble. If he is not kept under a watchful eye, he has a bad habit of getting too stuck in, especially too early. Any early card trouble will not only see him targeted further, but it will reduce his effectiveness.
– Allowing the young attacking players to do their thing. If Hazard, De Bruyne and Lukaku (amongst others) are going to shine, all that Wilmots has to do is sit back and enjoy the show. Such is their talent, that they will do the rest.
Key’s for Algeria:
– Taking any chance they get from a set piece well. They will not have a ton of chances from the run of play given their probable defensive shape, so when they do break forward and if it results in a foul, they’ll have to do their best to give Belgium something to think about.
– Keeping Hazard quiet. It’s no easy task, but it’s absolutely necessary. He is the Cristiano Ronaldo of Belgium and even though Belgium have more quality than Portugal, his importance is still on that level. The problem is, if you focus on him too much, you leave De Bruyne space to operate, which you do not want. They’ll need to find the right defensive balance.
– Do not let Lukaku rampage all match long. He is still so young, but he may as well be the carbon copy of Didier Drogba. With three very talented attacking players behind him, he’ll either have chances carved out for him, or he’ll bring them into play behind him. If you can cut him off, you’ve done well
Key Battles:
– Madjid Bougherra v Romelu Lukaku – The Algerian center back has a ton of experience under his belt, and he will need to call upon every ounce of it if he is to keep Lukaku in check for the duration of the match.
– Hassan Yebda v Axel Witsel – Witsel is an excellent deeo-lying playmaker, one that often flies under the radar on the world stage with so many other big names being considered ahead of him, but he is a fantastic player. Yebda is also very experiencd, like Bougherra, he’ll need to call on that for cut the supply lines from Witsel to the attack.
– Eden Hazard v the Algerian defense – Such is his reputation (and rightfully so), that there is no question that he will often times have to deal with two or three players pressing him when he is on the ball. He must be aware that the attention he draws is just as good as him making a fantastic individual play.
"Staff match predictionsDrew: I am going with 3-1 Belgium. It’s their first match so there may be some nerves. Algeria are going to bunker defend so it’ll take them time to get going but once they do, it’s over. There are a question mark or two in regards to their defense, especially how susceptible they are on the counter-attack so I do think Algeria will nip one, but I cannot see more than that. Other than that, I think Belgium will do just fine, and can even see Lukaku bagging a brace.Charles: First off, Belgium must show that they are able to play as a team. They have so many fantastic individual stars, but will they prove to be a cohesive unit in the end? That said, I will go with Belgium today. They have such a strong midfield and so many creative playmakers who will give the attacking players a ton of chances in the match. They do however have to watch out for Algeria, especially Islam Slimani who is a very good goal scorer. 2-1 Belgium is my prediction."