Belgium is a rising international force tipped by 10 out of 11 soccer experts to top Group H. The Red Devils will get their first chance to live up to their considerable hype against the Desert Foxes of Algeria, who have nothing to lose and everything to gain against the young Belgians.With the depth and talent their squad possesses, as mentioned in our Group H preview, it’s hard to disagree that they are the favorites to take top spot.
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Algeria vs. Belgium, World Cup 2014, Group Stage Betting Preview and Prediction
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Algeria are expected by most to be the whipping boys of Group H, but their youthful and potentially dangerous attack shouldn’t be underestimated. Striker Islman Slimani scored five goals during African qualifying to lead a prolific offense that scored 16 goals in eight games.
The team’s main creative force tasked with manufacturing chances for Slimani will be Valencia’s Sofiane Feghouli. Though Feghouli is capable of playing wide or through the middle, it may be more advantageous to play him wide to take advantage of one of Belgium’s weaknesses: fullback. Jan Vertonghen isn’t a natural leftback and lacks the speed to recover quickly should he get beaten.
The natural instinct for an underdog like Algeria would be to pack in the midfield and play ultra-defensively, much like they did in 2010 when they held England to a goalless draw. But with essentially nothing to lose and some young attackers eager to impress, manager Vahid Hililhodzic may be more inclined to throw caution to the wind and take the game to a Belgium team that will have all the pressure and expectation to perform.
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Betting on Belgium
Blessed with some of the best young talents in Europe today, Belgium’s golden generation on paper has the beating of Algeria’s squad in basically every position on the pitch.
Going forward, the Belgians will lean on the undoubted abilities of Chelsea duo Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku. Hazard, who was Chelsea’s leading scorer with 14 goals in the recently-concluded Premier League season, will start wide on the left, but has the license to roam the midfield area and wreak havoc on the Algerian defense.
Hazard’s creativity should supply lone striker Lukaku with plentiful scoring opportunities. Lukaku scored 15 goals in an excellent season on-loan at Everton, but his participation against Algeria is in doubt after injuring his ankle in their final tune-up match against Tunisia on June 7. Lukaku is the focal point of the Belgium’s offense, and his fitness will be crucial to the team’s chances of scoring.
The Belgians look solid on defense, with the imposing two-man midfield shield of Marouane Fellaini and Axel Witsel protecting the backline led by inspirational skipper Vincent Kompany. The excellent Thibaut Courtouis, who conceded just 26 goals for Atletico Madrid in La Liga this season, will be their excellent last line of defense in goal.
Writer’s Prediction
With Belgium such heavy favorites, the value could be on the spread. A healthy Lukaku could see the Belgians winning by a comfortable margin over the overmatched Algerians. Take Belgium -1 to cover.
