Belgium vs Canada Betting Preview – 23.11

On Wednesday, November 23, the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium will host the match of the Group F of the 2022 World Cup, in which the national teams of Belgium and Canada will play. The second encounter between these two teams will see one of the best players featuring against each other. Belgium are favourites, but not everything can be so easy.

Belgium Form

The Belgian national team is a regular participant in the World Cups. Since 1982, the Belgians have not missed a single World Cup. Four years ago, Belgium were one of the main favourites of the tournament, but in the end, this team managed to win only bronze. As with the Croatian national team, the current generation of Belgian footballers is slowly declining. The upcoming tournament might be the last chance to win something with the national team.

The Belgian national team is led by Roberto Martinez. Before joining the Red Devils, Martinez spent nine years in England coaching clubs such as Swansea, Wigan and Everton. He became the head coach of the Belgian national team in 2016. Considering the generation that the Belgians have gathered, Martinez’s work is constantly criticized for the lack of any significant team success.

The strengths of the Belgian national team are experience and self-confidence. The squad of the Belgian national team is quite old, but at the same time, very experienced. Most of the players played at both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 and achieved significant success at the club level. Therefore, the Belgians in the upcoming tournament should expect complete concentration and dedication.

Regardless of the opponent, the Red Devils stick to the same style of play, being completely confident in their abilities. Belgium prefers to keep the ball in the middle zone, but the main danger lies in the counter-attacks of this team.

Among the weaknesses of this team, first of all, failures in a defence stand out. The defence of the Belgian national team is of the greatest concern. The players of the defensive line of the Red Devils are no longer flawless, but there have not been any replacements for them. This is the main drawback of this team, which may prevent it from achieving the desired result at the World Cup in Qatar.

Canada Form

Canada is a rare participant in the World Cups. World Cup in Qatar will be only the second such tournament for representatives of North American football. The last time the Canadians played in the final stage of the World Cup was in 1986. Then they could not win, ending the tournament with zero goals scored.

Despite this, the current generation of Canadian players seems ready to show themselves to the football world and demonstrate their abilities.

Team Canada is headed by English specialist John Herdman. It is noteworthy that before working with Canada, Herdman coached only women’s teams.

The strengths of the Canadian team are high speed and play on the flanks. The main advantage of the Canadian team lies in lightning attacks. They do not like to keep the ball for a long time, preferring to immediately go to the opponent’s goal.

Defence seems to be the main problem area for Canadians. They often go in attack with many men, and as a result, they have open spaces in their half of the field, which are often used by rivals. Considering not the highest level of the team’s defenders, such mistakes at the upcoming World Cup can be fatal in matches with rivals at the level of Belgium and Croatia.

Interesting Facts

This is going to be only the second match between Belgium and Canada.

The previous six matches of Canada saw two goals in the first half.

Belgium are one of six teams that went the World Cup unbeaten in 1998, albeit did not win the tournament.

Belgium – Canada: H2H Matches

Teams only met once before, in 1989. This was a friendly match that saw Canada beat the opponent 2:0. Since then, a lot has changed in both teams.

Players to Watch

Both teams can boast of having players that can impact the course of the match. Let’s have a look at them.

Kevin De Bruyne – Belgium

Kevin de Bruyne is a redheaded genius. The Manchester City midfielder is one of the best players in the world. De Bruyne is a leader both in the club and in the national team; his game intelligence and ability to distribute accurate assists, probably, cannot be compared with anyone.

Romelu Lukaku – Belgium

Romelu Lukaku is the top scorer. The Inter striker is a very important link in the Red Devils’ attack – Lukaku can either fight for the ball close to the opponent’s goal or drag the ball from the centre of the field to someone else’s penalty area. In addition to his size, the striker is distinguished by his technique and good speed. For the national team, Lukaku scored 47 goals in 66 matches.

Eden Hazard – Belgium

Eden Hazard is the unfulfilled winner of the Golden Ball. Four years ago, Hazard was considered the best Belgian footballer and the undisputed leader of the national team. After moving to Real Madrid, Hazard was predicted to win the Golden Ball, but injuries put an end to these hopes.

Nevertheless, he is a key player and captain of the Red Devils, and the Belgians have no one better than him yet.

Alphonso Davies – Canada

Alphonso Davies is a rising superstar. Despite his young age, Davies has already won the Champions League with Bayern, becoming the first Canadian to do so. In his repertoire, there is the technique, explosive speed, and athleticism. In the Canadian national team, Davis is exempted from playing in defence, thereby increasing his attacking value.

Jonathan David – Canada

Jonathan David is another Canadian football talent. The 22-year-old Lille striker has already managed to attract the attention of football fans, performing well in the Ligue 1. David played 30 matches for the national team, scoring 20 goals.

The main qualities of a striker are speed, dribbling and shooting – all that a good striker needs. He will surely be instrumental against Belgium.

Cyle Larin – Canada

Larin is the team’s leading scorer. In the club, Larin plays as a left midfielder, but in the national team, he is most often used as a second striker next to David. In qualifying for the World Cup, Larin scored 13 goals in 16 matches.

Belgium vs Canada Betting Tips

We have collected interesting expert predictions for punters:

Belgium to Win – 1.50

So far, the Belgians will not be helped by Romelu Lukaku, whose participation in the game is a big question, but even without him, Roberto Martinez has a number of high-class players at his disposal. Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne will lead Belgium at this World Cup, and this may be the last chance for the Belgian team to compete for a major title.

Canada is considered an underdog, but we are sure that even with Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, it is unlikely that they will be able to compete for a draw unless the Canadians must avoid a major defeat. Belgium is obliged to win against the weakest team in its group, so we take Belgium to win.

Total Goals Over 2.5 – 1.75

Three or more goals have been scored in six of the nine matches against Belgium this year. The Belgians themselves score an average of 1.89 goals, but we also take into account the fact that Canada’s defence is rather weak. We won’t be surprised if Belgium scores at least three goals on its own, or maybe Canada will be able to help break through the total, so we take a total over 2.5.

Canada to Have Over 3.5 Corner Kicks – 1.80

Canada averages 6.2 corners per game, Belgium 5.33. Obviously, Belgium will attack much more, but the Canadians are just focusing on flank attacks, whereas Davies and Buchanan are. In addition, with a high probability Canada will be forced to win back that, you can place a bet on over 3.5 corner kicks for Canada.

Total Under 3.5 Yellow Cards – 1.80

Belgium players receive 0.67 yellow cards, and Canada receives 1.6. The referee is quite loyal, he shows an average of 2.33 yellow cards, so we expect the referee to let the footballers play and whistle less, which means that you can bet on under 3.5 yellow cards.

Conclusion

Belgium and Canada like to play attacking football. They like to score and concede at the same time. Therefore we anticipate an open match, with a lot of goals, where Belgium will prevail eventually.

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