Belgium are among not-too-many favorites who managed to win big in the first round. This made their fans very enthusiastic about the prospect of winning the World Cup title, but there’s still a long way to go. They haven’t even yet booked a spot in the Round of 16. But, they can do that if they beat Tunisia on Saturday afternoon. Tunisia, on the other hand, have nothing to lose in this game, so they’ll probably go out with an attacking squad and hope for the best.
Belgium
Belgium are the favorite for finishing the group stage on the top of the table. It’s not a surprise, considering that they seem strong in every part of the pitch. This team has at least one top-class player in every position. This is why it seems that they won’t have any problem beating Tunisia. Moreover, they also seem like favorites for winning the match against England next week.
In the first round of the World Cup, Belgium beat Panama 3:0. They did gave their fans a little bit of scare, as the first half ended 0:0. But, then in the second 45 minutes, they were simply brilliant. The only bad thing about that match is that Eden Hazard picked up a slight injury. But, the good news is that he is probably going to be ready for the duel with Tunisia.
Still, Belgium manager, Roberto Martinez might decide to give him a rest and save him from the kicks he would probably get from Tunisia players. Hazard is one of the most-commonly fouled footballers on the planet, which isn’t a surprise as he’s very difficult to mark. To keep him injury-free, Martine might decide to give him a rest before the big match against England in the final round of the group stage.
Luckily for Martinez, he has the luxury to keep one of the best dribblers in the world on the bench. If he decides to rest Hazard, his team probably won’t have any problems as there are plenty of super-talented players who can replace him. One of those is Eden Hazard’s brother, Thorgan.
Tunisia
Tunisia players must be feeling depressed after losing the match against England in the stoppage time. The only silver lining is that they showed a real class in defense in that game, in which England had 17 goal attempts in total. Tunisia are hoping that a similar approach could get them a good result in the game against Belgium.
The bad news is that Belgium’s strongest point is their attack. So, the chance that they’re going to keep a clean sheet is very low. And if they allow a goal to Belgium, they will have to fight back in order to snatch at least one point. The problem is that they haven’t shown too much talent in the final third.
In fact, the goal they scored against England was scored from the penalty stop and after that, they had almost no attempts on England’s goal. Actually, Tunisia had only one shot on goal in the entire match.
Possible Lineups
Belgium:
Courtois – Vertonghen, Kompany, Alderweireld – Witsel, De Bruyne, Meunier, Carrasco – Hazard, Mertens, Lukaku
Tunisia:
Mathlouthi – Ben Youssef, Benalouane, Maaloul, Meriah – Sassi, Khazri, Khaoui, Sliti, Skhiri – Khalifa
Belgium vs. Tunisia Match Prediction
Belgium will win this, I have no doubt about that. But, the bookies know that too, which is why the odds on Belgium are pretty low. If you want to win more money, feel free to bet on a big Belgium victory. Asian Handicap -2.5 Goals does seem like a good alternative.
Belgium vs. Tunisia Betting Tips
- Belgium @1.28 (bet365)
- Belgium AH -2.5 Goals @3.35 (Unibet)