World Cup 2018, Brazil vs Belgium: 3 key battles to watch out for

#3 Neymar vs Vincent Kompany

Neymar has been among the goals

now,

and will look to take the streak further

The battle on the opposite end of the pitch will see Vincent Kompany try to limit Neymar in everything he tries to do, and any stemming of that will do a world of good for Belgium's chances.

After being not fully fit for the first two games, Kompany is back to full fitness and goes straight back into the squad - as he should. While Belgium managed to beat Japan, they will find it much harder to keep up with the Brazilians in terms of skill and pace, and Neymar is at the top of both.

RIVALDO to #Neymar:"All #Brazil is behind you. Ignore the critics." pic.twitter.com/a12r4qxVqT

— Seleção Brasileira (@BrazilStat) July 4, 2018

Kompany has become a seasoned defender, and despite being extremely injury prone he is considered one of the best in the business. But stopping Neymar is a whole other thing. Kompany needs to put in his best, and anything short of that will see Neymar and Brazil running away with the win.

There was a mixed response to starting Kompany against Japan, and his performance was not well received. However, whether Martinez will risk dropping such a big name for the biggest game of his career so far remains to be seen.

Despite playing on the left, Neymar will spend a lot of time in the box and will make runs into the box behind the defenders at every conceivable opportunity. This is where Kompany's experience will come into play, as he has had his experience with such sneaky players, and he also has the experience of dealing with Gabriel Jesus in training sessions.