World Cup 2022: Is This Goodbye for Belgium’s Golden Generation?

Croatia vs Belgium

Two of the four semi-finalists in the previous World Cup collide as Croatia – the losing finalists in Russia – take on Belgium in their Group F finale.

Croatia only need to avoid defeat to move on to the World Cup 2022 round of 16. But the Red Devils are in danger of crashing out of the group stage for the first time since 1998 as they sit in third after couple of uninspiring performances.

Can De Bruyne and co. finally deliver against Croatia or is this goodbye to Belgium’s Golden Generation on the World Cup stage?

Talking Points

Croatia find cutting edge

After lacking that cutting edge in attack in their goalless opener against Morocco, Croatia came back with a vengeance as they crushed Canada 4-1.

Andrej Kramaric was the star of the show as he bagged a brace, with Ivan Perisic providing a pair of assists.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic’s move to switch Kramaric out wide while starting Marko Livaja at centre-forward added more structure to the Croatians’ attack as they extended their current unbeaten run to eight games (six wins, two draws).

Given how well they played against Canada, Dalic is unlikely to make major changes to this starting XI against Belgium.

Belgium’s Golden Generation showing their age

Belgium are on the brink of exiting the World Cup in the group stage for the first time since France 98. The team’s performances in the first two games have been a far cry from the side that finished third in Russia four years ago.

Despite winning their opening game 1-0, the Belgians were outplayed by the Canadians, who had a massive 22-9 shot advantage. And they hardly created any good goalscoring chances in their 2-0 defeat to Morocco.

Age seems to have finally caught up to Belgium’s vaunted Golden Generation. Several key players on the side are all on the wrong side of 30, and it has shown in their subpar showing thus far.

Kevin De Bruyne recently made World Cup 2022 news with his comments that the team was “too old” to win the World Cup, but he is being proven right by Belgium’s disappointing campaign.

Romelu Lukaku’s lack of fitness has also been a massive loss, especially with captain Eden Hazard now a shell of his once-great self.

Modric vs De Bruyne: battle of midfield greats

All eyes will be on the battle between two of the best midfielders of their generation: Croatia’s Luka Modric and Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne.

Although, this marquee matchup may have already gone past its sell-by date. Modric has not been quite at his best through the first two games as his 37-year-old legs are no longer capable of controlling the game as he once did.

Meanwhile, for all of De Bruyne’s continued brilliance, even he has been unable to inspire this fading Golden Generation thus far. There are now reports emerging of tensions between DeBruyne and his teammates, which is not a great sign for a team that needs to come together.

Nevertheless, these two midfield generals are pure quality who can turn a match on its head, and it will be a pleasure to watch them play against each other on the World Cup stage.

History

The head to heads between Belgium and Croatia are as close as it gets. The two nations have met eight times in total, with each team winning three times, while there have been two draws.

The two sides have met four times in World Cup qualifiers, but this will be their first meeting in the World Cup finals.

Belgium are riding a three-game unbeaten run against the Croatians, with a draw and two wins. Their last meeting came last year in an international friendly. Belgium won 1-0 thanks to a lone Romelu Lukaku goal.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP World Cup 2022 betting odds for this crucial Group F clash are very close. Croatia are only very slight 2.65 favourites to beat Belgium, who are priced at 2.69. A draw is 3.10.

Both teams still have a lot to play for, so this figures to be quite a competitive match. But despite the big names in their squad, Belgium have just not inspired much confidence. Their performances have the look of a team ready to go home, and the rumblings about tensions in the locker room only add to those concerns.

Croatia looked like a much more cohesive unit in their win over Canada, and I expect them to send Belgium’s Golden Generation crashing out.

 

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