Belgium to all but seal place at the World Cup
Belgium and Czechia meet for the second time in UEFA Group E of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers. At the time of writing, the Red Devils lead the way with 10 points from a possible 12 and an unassailable goal difference, having scored a combined 13 against Belarus and Estonia respectively with two in reply by the latter side. The reverse fixture in Prague saw the hosts grab a deserved 1-1 draw, but it's likely that they will have to win on Sunday night to stand any chance of usurping the world number ones. Read our preview here:
Ah, Foket
The Red Devils went surprisingly behind after just two minutes in Tallinn, but rallied round to characteristically run away with the tie. Head coach Roberto Martínez was without the likes of Youri Tielemans and Kevin De Bruyne in midweek, and whilst the former probably won't be risked on Sunday, the latter is not even part of the squad because of ongoing injury concerns. Nevertheless, there were some promising signs from would-be replacements - Hans Vanaken ran the show in the middle, and new Arsenal capture Albert Sambi Lokonga came off the bench for his first senior cap, not looking out of place in a side that had total control of proceedings. On the right, both Alexis Saelemaekers and Alex Foket had impressive outings, and they could be rotated for the visit of Czechia. Foket, a mainstay at Reims, is unusual in the sense that he is most comfortable as a right-sided full-back or wing-back, rather than the typical tactic of Martínez of utilising a solely attack-minded player for one of those berths.
Alex the kid
Alex Král joined the growing Czech contingent at West Ham United on summer transfer window deadline day on loan from Spartak Moscow with a view to a permanent deal, and his presence will be a boost for his club, adding tidiness and depth to the defensive midfield pivot. For his country, his role alongside now dual teammate Tomáš Souček will be crucial in shutting down the passing lanes to Romelu Lukaku in particular. Jaroslav Šilhavý's men proved at Euro 2020 that they are strongest in the middle third of the pitch, but are without star performer Patrick Schick in attack. Much will therefore depend on the ability of Král to win possession back and quickly instigate a counter to expose the ordinary backline in red. Their best shot in normal open play will be trying to get around the central defensive three and playing crosses in behind, which remain a significant chink in the Belgian armour.
Dragons writing Czechs
Czechia cannot afford to lose this weekend, even though most pundits expect them to. Wales, who weren't in action on Thursday because of the odd number of nations in the pool, now have two games in hand on their adversaries, and are likely to best Belarus in the earlier Sunday kick-off. That combination of results would put Rob Page's charges a single point behind, with the added advantage of having already beaten them in the group. There is, as Estonia proved, some joy to be had against Belgium if they can pushed back even momentarily, but they cannot allow their hosts to get up a head of steam. Casumo have odds of 3.40 for another win with both teams scoring, a result that would make nigh-on certain that Belgium will be amongst the first qualifiers for the showpiece in Qatar next year.
