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Having failed to qualify for the previous two editions, Belgium now has a team comparable to their 1986 World Cup squad which finished fourth. Team USA on the other hand have silenced critics by making it to the round of 16, and now will be looking to repeat their 2002 performance where they reached the quarter-final.
Belgium is in good form as they are the only team apart from Argentina, Colombia and Netherlands to top their respective groups by winning all three matches. USA performed brilliantly to finish second in the group of death by winning against Ghana, drawing Portugal and narrowly losing to Germany.
Venue
The match will be played in the newly constructed Arena Fonte Nova stadium which has a capacity of 51,900 located in Brazil's former capital city of Salvador. The weather conditions will be humid as usual. However the showers we can expect will be in the form of goals, in what can be termed as the “Fan's Arena”, since it has already hosted four high scoring group stage matches.
The average number of goals at the Arena Fonte Nova is 5.66 per game – the third highest in history.
Kickoff
July 2nd – 01:30 am (IST)
July 1st – 05:00 pm (Local Time)
Possible Starting Lineups
The big news for USA is that striker Jozy Altidore is fit and is very likely to be in the starting eleven, adding more strength to the US strike force. This means that Clint Dempsey will get to play in his natural position as a play maker. Belgium have major injury worries as captain Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen are yet to pass fitness tests while right back Anthony Vanden Borre is already ruled out.
Klinsmann would stick with Gonzalez over Geoff Cameron in defence even though Cameron is the natural choice to play against a team he knows well. However, Wilmots will have to change the whole back line if both center backs are unfit. We could see Dembele as left-back and Chadli as right back shifting Vertonghen and Alderweireld to the centre.
USA(4-1-2-1-2): Howard; Johnson, Gonzalez, Besler, Beasley; Beckerman, Jones, Bedoya; Bradley, Dempsey, Altidore
Belgium(4-2-3-1): Courtois; Alderweireld, Van Buyten, Kompany, Vermaelen; Witsel, Fellaini; De Bruyne, Mertens, Hazard; Lukaku
Key Facts and Stats
- The last time USA beat Belgium was way back in the 1930 World Cup with the score line 3-0.
- USA and Belgium have played against each other only five times and the most recent encounter produced 6 goals – a 4-2 win for the Belgians.
- Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is yet to lose a match with the Belgium national team (P20 W14 D6) and achieved his 100th career clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Russia.
- Belgium is one of the younger sides in the FIFA World Cup with an average age of 25.5 and the second youngest side in the Round of 16.
Key Battles
Eden Hazard vs Fabian Johnson
Eden Hazard has had a quite tournament, but players of his caliber can never be underestimated. Fabian Johnson has been a revelation for the USA in the group stage matches making dangerous forays into the opponent’s half. However, his defensive abilities will be tested by Hazard who will be looking to create as many chances as possible for the Red Devils. What makes Hazard dangerous is his pace, trickery and his penchant for making solo runs resulting in goals.
Clint Dempsey vs Thibaut Courtois
The Belgian back line may not be at full strength since skipper Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen are doubtful starters. And even if they do start, they may not be able to play the full ninety minutes. USA will have to play aggressively and test the Belgian defence to the fullest if they are to have any chances of beating the Red Devils. If Michael Bradley can regain form, then it will be all up to the young Belgian goalkeeper to keep the Red Devils in the game.
Prediction
Belgium look really strong on paper, but all the three matches they won in the group stage were very closely contested with the Red Devils struggling to show any kind of authority in a relatively weak group. Their midfield has looked out of sorts and Lukaku has been disappointing up front. USA has been gradually improving with every game and their stubborn defending against Germany has shown that they can take on any attack.
USA skipper Clint Dempsey has been performing well upfront and with Altidore back in the side, the US strike force looks promising. The match is tough to call; however, I pick USA to come out on top because they have more players with World Cup experience compared to the Belgians.
Predicted scoreline: Belgium 1-2 USA
Match Officials
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (ALG)
Assistant Referee 1: Redouane Achik (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdelhak Etchiali (ALG)
Fourth Official: Norbert Hauata (TAH)
