In this, the first Group H match, there is an air of inevitability surrounding the Estadio Mineirao as minnows Algeria line up against the formidable looking Belgium. View our World Cup live scores between Belgium and Algeria including teams, odds and match preview.
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On paper, Belgium look the business, with many of the top seeds keeping a close and wary eye on the new number 5 seeds who have climbed an incredible 43 spots since the last world cup. Their team sheet is brimming with talent, with no less than twelve English Premier League stars to choose from. Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard will make up a front four for Belgium that looks absolutely mouthwatering, with all four having had excellent seasons for their clubs. The name that really stands out from these four wunderkinds is onoe Eden Hazard, who alongside Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool, lit up the Premier League last season with electric pace, intelligent movement and dazzling trickery.
The front four of Belgium are a very fluid unit, being able to slip into each other’s positions quickly and cleverly without warning, and look to be a tricky proposition for any squad. But they also have decent strength in numbers at the back with English Premier League champions Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany in central defence alongside Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen, not forgetting Alderweireld and Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen at right and left back respectively. With Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini pulling the strings between the back and front four with help from Zenit St. Petersburg’s Alex Witsel, not many give the Algerians a chance today.
Algeria do have some players with experience of the Premier League, with defender Carl Medjani having played for Fulham and Nabil Bentaleb, who currently plies his domestic trade at Tottenham Hotspur. That said, they will be pinning their hopes on Islam Slimani of Sporting Lisbon who has been the top scorer for Algeria in the run up to the World Cup, netting 10 goals in just 19 games, which is an impressive return by any striker’s standard. However, he needs to have his shooting boots on from the get-go this evening, with Belgian stopper Thibaut Courtois having saved over eighty five percent of shots.
Belgium are likely to opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation with Witsel and Fellaini protecting their back four from raids by the Algerian front four of Soudani, Brahimi, Feghouli and especially Slimani, who has been scoring for fun at the tournament qualifiers. Algeria will mimic that formation, but most won’t expect it to bear much fruit given the attacking prowess and sheer strength in depth of Belgium.
Algeria have an indifferent record against Belgium in the World Cup having played two games, losing one and drawing one. They will be expecting a tough time this evening with only Spain having conceded fewer goals (three) than Belgium (four) in qualifying. Belgium are set-piece masters having banged in a massive eight goals from them. Algeria’s Belkalem, Bougherra, Mandi and Ghoulam will have a torrid time of it, with Hazard, De Bruyne, Mirallas and Lukaku to deal with, a combination of names to strike fear into even the hardiest defence.
