Belgium – Canada

Belgium are favourites to beat Canada

Wednesday, 23 November sees the teams' journey in Group F begin. The Belgian team will play against Canada. The Belgians are considered favourites for their quartet, but have surprised somewhat in the last matches played. Firstly, Roberto Martinez's charges lost the group in the League of Nations to the Netherlands. Secondly, falling victim to Egypt in a friendly. Belgium's obvious disadvantage is their defensive centre-back. In defence, the team still has the indispensable Alderweireld-Vertonghen ligament, which has been in the Belgian league for a long time. In attack, there are questions about Eden Hazard. It looks like the country's once main footballer will only be a substitute in Qatar. The main hope is the skill of Kevin de Bruyne. The Manchester City leader goes to the World Cup in fine form. Last season's best goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has also recovered from a medical problem. Belgium have been surprisingly quiet in the Nations League. In the last five games, the Devils have an untypical series of five games played to a total of less than 3.5. The injury situation is not the worst. The only problem is with Romelu Lukaku. All the other key players are ready to take to the pitch. Canada have achieved a historic achievement by qualifying for the World Cup. An outstanding generation has emerged in the national side. Bayern Munich wunderkind Alfonso Davies, one of the creators of the Champions League miracle at Brugge Kyle Larin, Lille's top forward Jonathan David. Plus special attention to another Brugge player, Tajon Buchanon. The speedy winger could be the tournament's big opener. That said, all is fine only in attack. The other lines, against a World Cup backdrop, are objectively downtrodden. This is particularly true in defence, where the team is relying on very slow players. Before the World Cup, Canada showed its pluses and minuses. Predictably, the defence is failing even at the sparring level. The Canadians conceded two goals from Bahrain before miraculously beating Japan. "The Samurai missed a huge number of chances and hit the post in front of Canada's winning goal. Bookmakers have upped the odds on favourites amid Belgium's latest setback. Canada are a bright, attacking team, but they will be difficult to beat against an experienced, outclassed opponent. A win for Belgium in a high-scoring game is on the cards. The real plan for Canada is to score, but not score points. The question of rotation is also important. In the second half, Belgium will have the opportunity to change the game significantly through substitutions. Canada have a very average level of players in reserve.