The final round of group stage matches sees England facing Belgium, with top spot up for grabs in Group G after both nations qualified early for the round of 16. Well, top spot is available, rather than up for grabs; cynics have suggested playing for second place might be the better choice, due to the sides involved on each side of the knock-outs.
On the one hand, France, Argentina, Portugal and Brazil. On the other, only Spain and Croatia stand out. But first the final group game must be negotiated, one way or another, and perhaps familiarity suggests England might have the upper hand.
Same old faces
The feeling of frustration some fans of top teams get when they draw a fellow Premier League side in Europe: we play them all the time, give us someone else!
It applies here. All of England’s players are from the nation’s top flight, but so too are a massive 12 of the Belgian 23. Another four of them used to be. Add in head coach Roberto Martinez, his assistants Thierry Henry and Graeme Jones, and it’ll be a big old reunion of sorts on the pitch come Thursday night.
Does that make it easier for England? It should do. There’s less of the unknown, no excuse for shocks from the majority of stars in the squad. Fakhreddine Ben Youssef might have been a surprise outlet for Tunisia, but Eden Hazard won’t be. While stopping such talent is another matter, his movements will at least be well-known, and planned around.
There is also the suggestion that Belgium will rest players and rotate, including top scorer Romelu Lukaku - facing off against Harry Kane at present for the coveted Golden Boot award. England might opt to make changes too, but manager Gareth Southgate should resist switching things too much.
For a long time, England have been seen as underperformers; now they’re merely underdogs. Taking good form into the Belgium game and beyond would be a boost, and a victory over any key challenger in the knockouts themselves would be a massive step forward on the international scene, regardless of which stage it leads to.
Tactical cohesion
While individual talent can’t always be accounted for, Southgate may look to get the better of his opposite number on a tactical level.
Can Eric Dier stop Kevin de Bruyne for 90 minutes, or can Jesse Lingard match his creative output across the game? Probably not. But is Martinez such a proven tactician that his sides are infallible, particularly in defence? Absolutely not. Already, this Belgian side have shown weaknesses - like every other nation, in fairness - and Southgate should be confident about outmaneuvering the man in the next dugout.
Spaces behind the wing-backs have been apparent for the Red Devils, while exploitation of the same has been one of England’s strengths, at least down the right. A midfield overload is possible, too, with a three-vs-two scenario in England’s favour on the cards if both bosses stick to the systems utilised so far.
Even if tactics and personnel are changed, the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Adnan Januzaj, Michy Batshuayi or Thomas Vermaelen - not starters thus far for Belgium - are all familiar faces to the England side. They’ll know what to expect, how to get the better of them, or at least stop them performing.
The one concern, of course, is that familiarity breeds contempt. It’s exciting and a challenge to stop a Neymar, a Hirving Lozano, a Kylian Mbappe; perhaps halting the flow of Mousa Dembele in midfield no longer holds quite the same level of anticipation. But the stage is different, and the rewards are too.
England can and should feel confident about their ability to beat Belgium in this one-off, low-pressure fixture.
Whether they’ll actively want to, and to take top spot in the process, is another matter - but they shouldn’t fear the knockouts to the extent they don’t aim for victory.
