World Cup 2018: 4 reasons why England will definitely defeat Belgium

#4 Belgium are set to make a lot of changes

Roberto Martinez will likely rest stars like Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku for the match with England

It’s already been reported that, having qualified already for the round of 16, Roberto Martinez is set to make up to ten changes to Belgium’s starting line-up for the match with England. That’s essentially the whole team – and despite the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard desperate to play against their Premier League teammates and rivals, it doesn’t look likely to happen as their boss wants to rest his key men and also protect players who have already been booked from a potential suspension.

In some ways, that makes sense – even if they lose to England, Belgium will still go into the knockouts. But if one side loses here, they might also lose something key to success in a tournament like the World Cup – momentum. And Gareth Southgate, in contrast to Martinez, appears to understand this. That could be due to England’s previous tournament – Euro 2016 saw Roy Hodgson ring 6 changes for the final group game, but the side then stuttered to a 0-0 draw with Slovakia, lost all momentum and subsequently crashed out to Iceland.

Southgate has suggested he will make some changes – ostensibly to protect the physical health of his key players, but he’s also suggested England need to win the game and current reports suggest Harry Kane will definitely be starting. And England with most of – if not all – their key players against Belgium without Lukaku, de Bruyne, Hazard et al? That sounds like a recipe for success for Southgate’s men.