Brazil take on Belgium at the Kazan Arena at 21:00 local time on Friday 6th July in what should be an amazing spectacle. Both teams will fancy their chances of winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup if they can get through this difficult fixture unscathed.
This is a game that is not to be missed if you are a fan of the beautiful game, it has the potential to go down as one of the greatest games in the history of football.
It is quite difficult to predict the outcome of Brazil versus Belgium simply because both teams can be brilliant on their day and both would be worthy 2018 FIFA World Cup champions.
We think Brazil will edge this game for the pure fact that Belgium are yet to come up against such a talented forward line in this tournament, or indeed in the past 15 games, yet have still leaked two or more goals against the likes of Bosnia, Mexico, Tunisia and more recently Japan.
Brazil look like they are starting to click with Neymar back to full fitness, creating chances and scoring goals, while the Brazilian defense has not been breached in eight of their last nine games.
If we were to bet on Belgium, we would take the Belgium to qualify at +150 as this also includes extra time and penalties if the game goes that far.
Brazil vs Belgium Key Bites
Fifteen games unbeaten and eight clean sheets in nine games is title winning form in any competition so it is easy to see why Bovada make Brazil favorites to beat Belgium then go on to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Brazil have been effective without being spectacular in their four World Cup to date, although they have looked mightily impressive in spells. The Mexico game in particular saw many moments of sheer brilliance from their forwards, with Neymar putting in yet another man of the match performance.
Sticking with Neymar, the world’s most expensive footballer tops the charts in many stats. He has been fouled 23 times to date, the most of any player, and has has 23 shots, 12 shots on target and created 16 chances for team mates, which is the most of anyone at this tournament.
The only weakness you used to find in the Brazil side was it’s often suspect defence but they have managed eight shutouts in their last nine outings so you cannot even point the finger at this area. Perhaps Brazil’s main weakness could be their mental toughness as they have not been forced to dig deep to win a game and this could lead to some overconfidence, something they can ill afford against Belgium.
This Belgium side is been called the Golden Generation of Belgian football yet those words will count for nothing if they do not manage to overcome Brazil and progress to the semi finals and beyond.
Belgium have, on paper, one of the best starting XIs in the world, one that you could argue rivals Brazil’s first choice team. A superb goalkeeper, great defenders, one of the world’s best midfielders and a striker who bangs in goals for fun. The problem lies in Belgium do not often play like a team, instead like 11 individuals.
There was definitely a superb team spirit in their 3-2 victory over Japan in the last round. Belgium dug deep to overturn a 2-0 deficit to win the game 3-2. While that performance could have taken plenty out of the players, both physically and mentally, it should stand them in good stead for this game and for future matches.
One area of concern for Belgium is their defense, which seems porous despite it featuring some of the Premier League’s top players. The conceded two goal against both lowly Japan and Tunisia at this tournament so image what they will be like when Neymar and company come at them with wave after wave of attacks.
Category : Betting Picks
Tag : FIFA World Cup , Soccer
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