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2018 FIFA World Cup came with its own bits of twists and turns. While some of the big names succumbed under pressure, a few not-so-fancied teams made it big, with one of them - Croatia going on to make it to the finals.
A certain hype was created around one of the newly emerging European superpowers - Belgium. The team having a number of their players representing leading European clubs, they went on to finish third among the 32 countries in the tournament in Russia.
A year later, as they prepare to kick off their campaign to qualify for the Euro 2020 their first opponents are going to be their hosts from the 2018 tournament. Manager Roberto Martinez has already confirmed that star striker Romelu Lukaku will miss the game with a foot injury and in his absence, the Hazard brothers will need to step up. In defence, there will also be the need for the stars of Russia to step up. Here is the list of three players in top form that are expected to perform to take the team to the final stages.
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#1 Eden Hazard
The Chelsea star featured in six games for Die Roten Teufel in the tournament in Russia scoring three goals, just one less than Lukaku. Inspite of Maurizio Sarri's criticism of the 28-year-old accusing the player of being "more an individual player than a leader", Hazard has shown more than a fair share of his clasee, scoring 16 goals and having a further 11 assists, in his 39 games this season.
In the absence of Lukaku, Martinez will bank on his time-tested star to share the goal-scoring responsibility with Dries Mertens, Michy Batshuayi and Divock Origi.
Hazard is expected to operate just behind the striker along with his brother Thorgan in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Martinez expected to go with just one striker up front.
#2 Thorgan Hazard
Eden Hazard's brother didn't get too many chances to impress in Russia featuring just twice, clocking 97 minutes. The 25-year-old has been in good-goal scoring form for his team Borussia Monchengladbach this season, scoring 12 goals in 27 appearances and also setting up 11 more for his team-mates.
He has also been a driving force behind the team's good run of form, keeping them in the top four, making them eligible for next season's Champions League group stages.
And in Martinez's two-man attacking midfield, Hazard is expected to play a crucial role not only in setting up but also scoring goals.
#3 Jan Vertonghen
Tottenham's big centre-back was a driving force behind goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois's finishing with the joint highest number of clean sheets in the tournament in Russia. In the six matches he played in Russia, Vertonghen managed all 540 minutes and even went on to add to the score sheet once.
While his goal scoring prowess won't hopefully be needed when Belgium begin their campaign, Martinez will hope that the 31-year-old will yet again help his team-mate keep his net intact.
The defender has featured in 24 games for Tottenham this season, including 17 times in the Premier League and five times in the Champions League. He has also added to the score sheet twice so far.
