World Cup 2018: Top 5 group stage matches to look forward to

#2 England vs Belgium (Group G)

England had a world-class left-back in Ashley Cole the last time these 2 sides met

Date: 28th June 2018

Venue: Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad

Head-to-head:

Games played: 21

England wins: 15

Belgium wins: 2

Drawn: 4

In 2012, England beat Belgium 1-0 in an international friendly with Danny Welbeck scoring the winner.

Preview:

England were undefeated in European qualifying, winning 8 of their matches and drawing just 2. England captain Harry Kane top scored with 5 goals and also provided an assist.

Belgium bettered England's record in qualifying, with 9 wins and 1 draw. They scored a mammoth 43 goals in just 10 games, with Romelu Lukaku scoring 11 and Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens and Thomas Meunier all making significant contributions.

Belgium are undefeated in their last 14 games. Their last loss was against Wales in Euro 2016. England possesses a very similar record, having lost their last game at Euro 2016 to Iceland in the round of 16.

This will be the battle of the 3-at-the-back systems.

Key players:

Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker (England)

Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Thomas Meunier (Belgium)

Possible lineups:

England(3-1-4-2): Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire/Cahill, Henderson/Dier, Trippier, Lingard, Alli, Young, Sterling, Kane

Belgium(3-4-2-1): Courtois, Alderweireld, Kompany, Vertonghen, Meunier, Witsel, De Bruyne, Carrasco, Mertens, Hazard, Lukaku

Prediction: England 1-3 Belgium