When Russia and Belgium meet at the Maracana, it will be the ninth time that they face each other in their respective histories. Belgium was underwhelming in their first game against Algeria, after there was so much hype around their “golden generation” of young stars. There was much talk about this Russian team when they came into the tournament as they were one of the strongest sides in the world during their qualification process.
Look for both teams to come out strong, as Belgium will surely want to rap up a spot into the knockout rounds early while Russia will be hoping to avoid falling into a bad position going into their final game. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Marouane Fellaini start in place of Nacer Chadli after his goal against Algeria, with Thomas Vermalaen possibly replacing Daniel Van Buyten in the back. Eden Hazard will once again be the man Belgian fans will be hoping can unlock the Russian defense, as the expectations on him have grown substantially in the last year. The Belgians play with speed and can hit the Russians on the lightning fast counter if Fabio Capello’s men do decide to push up.
The Russians though like playing out of the back despite not having premier playmaker Roman Shirokov in the midfield as he is out for the World Cup due to injury. Alexander Kerzhakov will be the man that the Russians will be targeting up front, as he looked dangerous in the opening match against the Koreans. Despite Capello not starting CSKA Moscow’s Alan Dzagoev in the opening game, don’t be surprised to see the Russian midfielder in the starting XI as he has the capability to open up the Belgian defense on a single pass. Along with those two will be Yuri Zhirkov who will surely be looking to bounce back after a poor performance against Korea.
It will be a good game that I think the Belgians should win. Russia has a tendency to come into big tournaments with a lot of promise, only to disappoint once they get there. This game is the perfect opportunity for the Belgians to show the world why there has been so much hype about them. If the Russians do though play at the top of their game, they have a good possibility of seeing a result in Rio.
My prediction: Belgium wins 2-1
Betting odds via Bovada.lv
Belgium: -½ (-120) // -120 Moneyline
Russia: +½ (Even) // +325 Moneyline
DRAW: +270
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