With the team’s confidence taking a knock, some Belgians feared the worst when things got serious, but they were handed an easy opener against Canada. We didn’t realise it then, but Canada was out of its depth and would lose their first two matches. They will head home after just three games. Despite that, Belgium had to settle for a nervy 1-0 win, achieved thanks to a goal scored by Batshuayi moments before the interval. Belgium then lost 2-0 to Morocco on matchday two, sunk by two goals in the final quarter of the match. Saiss got the first before Aboukhlal nabbed a second to kill the game as a contest.
The stats show that the Croatians and Belgians are strangers to clashing in important games. They have met eight times previously, and there’s little between the pair in the head-to-head stats. Croatia has claimed three wins, and Belgium also has three wins, with the other two matches ending in a draw. The most recent fixture was played in June 2021 when Belgium nicked a hard-fought 1-0 victory. That was achieved thanks to a goal by Romelu Lukaku, with the former Manchester United striker bagging the winner near the end of the first half. He has been missing from Qatar so far but is expected to return from injury in time for this decider. His presence would greatly boost Belgium’s chances of winning the match and going through.
The stats show that the Croatians and Belgians are strangers to clashing in important games. They have met eight times previously, and there’s little between the pair in the head-to-head stats. Croatia has claimed three wins, and Belgium also has three wins, with the other two matches ending in a draw. The most recent fixture was played in June 2021 when Belgium nicked a hard-fought 1-0 victory. That was achieved thanks to a goal by Romelu Lukaku, with the former Manchester United striker bagging the winner near the end of the first half. He has been missing from Qatar so far but is expected to return from injury in time for this decider. His presence would greatly boost Belgium’s chances of winning the match and going through.
On paper, Belgium has one of the best teams in the world, their squad packed with individual talent and proven scorers. But this side – once referred to as Belgium’s Golden Generation – has never quite turned it on in major competitions. As a nation and a team, Belgium has never clicked. It seems to be another example of a great bunch of individuals failing to make a great team. Yes, Belgium is a regular at major international football competitions, but they rarely make it as far as fans expect. It could get even worse, and there will be national outrage if they fail to escape a group they looked good enough to win.
We are in the thick of the World Cup, with the final round of group matches played this week. Many of the pools have already been decided, with the best teams securing their passage to the Round of 16. With teams playing for their position in the competition, tensions will be running high, and that will make for great viewing if you are following the action live on television. There are some eye-catching fixtures to work through, with England v Wales on Tuesday being the highlight so far. But the game we focus on here is Croatia v Belgium.

Croatia v Belgium prediction

Two teams expected to do better in Qatar, and two teams who will only have themselves to blame if they bow out at this early stage. We will likely lose one of these sides, but which one? If Lukaku is back to match fitness and returns sharp, he could prove to be the difference.

World Cup odds

Croatia can be backed at odds of 2.6 at 22bet, with Belgium trading at 2.688 and the draw 3.38.
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