The 2018 FIFA World Cup play-off for third-place takes place at the Saint Petersburg Stadium at 17:00 local time on Saturday 14th July and sees two of Europe's hottest properties take to the field for the last time in this tournament.
Belgium will start as favorites over England having already beaten them once in Russia, but do not right off England's chances because they will be playing for pride having enjoyed a fantastic World Cup until losing to Croatia in the semi-final.
You have to go back to the 1986 World Cup for a third-place playoff game to go to extra time, but this is one match that will buck that trend. Belgium beat England 1-0 in the Group Stage of this tournament although both sides fielded what was essentially a reserve side in that fixture.
That game saw few chances created so we would fully expect another close battle in Saint Petersburg, plus the +265 odds from Bovada on the draw look enticing.
Belgium vs England Key Bites
Belgium suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of France in the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final despite enjoying almost 65 percent of the possession. The Belgians could not manage to turn that possession into clear cut chances, managing only nine shots at goal compared to the 19 France had.
Romelu Lukaku has been a sensation for Belgium over his last 14 games, scoring 17 goals and setting up three others. However, he has not managed to find the back of the net in his last three games so could be du a goal. Thankfully, 10 different Belgian players have netted during the tournament so far, proving the team does have goals in it.
Like England, Belgium are usually defensively sound but have been porous at the back recently, conceding at least one goal in four of their last five games. Despite leaking goals, Belgium will be confident of winning this game and finishing third, which will be their highest-ever finish having come fourth in 1986.
England came so close to reaching the second World Cup final in their history but ran out of steam against Croatia after extra time. The English were dominant in the first 45-minutes and could easily have been two or three goals to the good, but woeful finishing let them down and they were ultimately punished for it.
Worrying for England fans is how Croatia managed to swap tactics at half-time and return to the field of play much the better team. Gareth Southgate's men play a rigid style and were undone by the fluidity of Croatia, who are not as good at Belgium when it comes to attacking.
England last reached this stage in 1990 when they finished in fourth-place so will be doing everything in their power to win the game and finish third. They looked tired against Croatia, however, so a win in 90-minutes may be beyond them, especially if they field some of their reserves, but a draw is definitely doable and our favored bet.
Category : Betting Picks
Tag : FIFA World Cup , Soccer
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