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Belgium Attempt To Put On A Show Against Japan

We’re well over half way through the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and it’s been an interesting tournament for the so-called ‘big’ teams so far. While France managed to take things to the next level yesterday, the likes of Brazil & Spain have been very hot and cold whereas the Germans and the Argentines weren’t even able to make it into the quarter-finals. These kinds of performances open the door for a slightly fresher team to come in and perform in a big way, and the leading contender to do so, for us, is Belgium.

The Red Devils have scored a magnificent nine goals in their first three games at the tournament, and while their level of opposition wasn’t spectacular, you can only beat what’s put in front of you, and they’ve certainly done that. They’ve got a level of confidence that wasn’t all too apparent at the 2014 edition or at Euro 2016, which will likely be quite refreshing for them. The expectations are still high amongst their fanbase, but they seem to be enjoying themselves as a team more so than they were before.

It’s no secret that the winner of this game faces the very likely possibility of a showdown with Brazil in the final eight, so building momentum is going to be of vital importance – but make no mistake about it, writing off the Japanese would be a huge mistake.

Belgium vs Japan Betting Odds

Coming into the tournament nobody was expecting Japan to do anything of real note, which of course, opened the door perfectly for them to shock the world and qualify from Group H against all of the odds. Their final game against Poland may have been a little bit controversial, but they still managed to score four goals in total against two impressive sides in Colombia & Senegal.

They tend to come forward with the same level of intent as the Belgians when the game is on the line, even if they don’t possess the same kind of quality up top. We all know that it often doesn’t matter how big the dog in the fight is, because it’s all about the fight in the dog, and that could be the catalyst behind Belgium’s downfall here.

If they don’t try and stay smart about their play, instead choosing to throw everything against the wall, then we could be in for one of the most entertaining games in this year’s World Cup. It’ll be difficult to top Spain vs Portugal or even France vs Argentina last night, but entertainment value in football can come in all different shapes and sizes. Lukaku and Hazard are certainly capable of running the show from the first whistle until the very last but Honda and Kagawa always seem to have a trick or two up their sleeves.

In terms of an official prediction, we’re going to move more towards the goal-side of things as opposed to an official result. We do think Belgium will progress into the quarter-finals, but more importantly, we think we’ll see over 2.5 goals.