Belgium World Cup 2022 preview - prediction, fixtures, squad, star player

Under the tutelage of Roberto Martinez, the Red Devils progressed to the semi-finals of the 2018 tournament in Russia and beat England in the third-place playoff.

Expectations remain high for the former world number ones, now ranked second by FIFA, who have the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard all in their prime hoping to steer their nation to glory.

While the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Axel Witsel are in the latter years of their careers, a new wave of talented prospects including Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku, Amadou Onana and Zeno Debast have also emerged in recent years and will be hoping to impress on the world's biggest stage.

Here, Sports Mole previews Belgium's chances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

GROUP

Belgium will be confident of finishing above Morocco and Canada in Group F, but securing top spot ahead of 2018 finalists Croatia is not a foregone conclusion.

The Red Devils, who finished at the summit of their group ahead of England four years ago, will begin their 2022 group-stage campaign against Canada at the Al Rayyan Stadium on November 23 before facing Morocco at the Al Thumama Stadium four days later.

Belgium's final fixture in Group F will see them return to the Al Rayyan Stadium for a potential group-topping decider against Croatia on December 1.

FIXTURES

November 23: Belgium vs. Canada (7pm, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

November 27: Belgium vs. Morocco (1pm, Al Thumama Stadium, Doha)

December 1: Croatia vs. Belgium (3pm, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

Not since October 2009 have Belgium lost a UEFA World Cup qualifier and they extended their unbeaten run in qualifying to 28 matches courtesy of six wins and two draws in their most recent campaign to top Group E.

The Red Devils opened their account with a 3-1 victory at home against Wales, before suffering a minor blip with a 1-1 draw away against Czech Republic.

Martinez's men returned to winning ways in emphatic style with an 8-0 demolition of Belarus, which saw Leandro Trossard and Hans Vanaken net braces, before scoring another eight goals across two victories over Estonia and Czech Republic.

After suffering a quarter-final exit at Euro 2020 against eventual winners Italy, Belgium returned to World Cup qualification action with back-to-back wins over Belarus and Estonia, with a 3-1 victory over the latter securing their place in Qatar.

With top spot already guaranteed, Belgium concluded Group E with a 1-1 draw away against Wales, who finished in second place and five points behind the Red Devils.

RECENT FORM

Belgium were ranked number one by FIFA for three years and five months before being knocked off their perch by Brazil in March, a consequence of failing to beat a top-10 nation for over a year.

The aforementioned quarter-final exit against Italy at Euro 2020 was followed three months later by a 3-2 UEFA Nations League semi-final defeat to France, a game they were leading 2-0 with half an hour remaining. Belgium then lost the third-place playoff 2-1 against Italy, which was their final defeat in 2021.

This year, Martinez's side have won four, drawn two and lost two of their eight fixtures across all competitions. A 2-2 friendly draw away against the Republic of Ireland was followed by a 3-0 win against Burkina Faso, before they experienced a mixed set to results in their latest Nations League campaign.

Belgium suffered their heaviest defeat for nearly four years when they were beaten 4-1 at home against Netherlands in their opening League A Group 4 fixture at the beginning of June, before a 6-1 thrashing of Poland put them back on track.

The Red Devils picked up a total of four points in home and away fixtures against Wales either side of a 1-0 win on the road against Poland, before concluding their campaign with a slender 1-0 defeat against Netherlands.

Belgium have one final friendly fixture against Egypt in Kuwait on Friday before they begin their 2022 World Cup campaign against Canada five days later.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg)

Defenders: Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Toby Alderweireld (Royal Antwerp), Leander Dendoncker (Aston Villa), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund), Timothy Castagne (Leicester City), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund)

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), Amadou Onana (Everton), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge)

Forwards: Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), Charles De Ketelaere (AC Milan), Leandro Trossard (Brighton & Hove Albion), Dries Mertens (Galatasaray), Jeremy Doku (Rennes), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan), Michy Batshuayi (Fenerbahce), Lois Openda (Lens)

STAR PLAYER - KEVIN DE BRUYNE

In previous years, Kevin De Bruyne was one of several stars among Belgium's golden generation, but the Manchester City playmaker has now established himself as the main man in Martinez's squad and his performances could well dictate how deep the Red Devils can go in this year's tournament.

At the age of 31, De Bruyne heads to Qatar in his prime as one of the best midfielders in world football and a leader for club and country. The two-time Premier League Player of the Season has elevated his game to new heights since the arrival of Pep Guardiola at Man City and he has gone on to win every domestic trophy on offer, although the Champions League still eludes both the playmaker and the Citizens.

Indeed, international silverware with Belgium is also missing from De Bruyne's trophy cabinet, but he has contributed to 71 goals in 93 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 25 times and registering a national record of 46 assists.

De Bruyne's first World Cup outing was in 2014 when he inspired Belgium to a 2-1 extra-time win over USA in the last 16 with a goal and an assist, before the Red Devils were eliminated by Argentina in the quarter-finals. The playmaker also featured at the 2018 tournament in Russia and was named man of the match after scoring in Belgium's 2-1 quarter-final victory over Brazil, before losing out against France in the semi-finals.

De Bruyne will be tasked with bringing out the best in out-of-sorts duo Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard in Qatar, with the former targeting glory in the showpiece event in what would be his 100th international appearance should Belgium go all the way.

MANAGER - ROBERTO MARTINEZ

An element of pressure will be on Roberto Martinez when he heads to Qatar for his third major tournament as Belgium boss since replacing Marc Wilmots in August 2016.

The 49-year-old has seen his side knocked out of the previous two major tournaments by the eventual winners, with Euro 2020 champions Italy beating the Red Devils in the last eight, while 2018 World Cup winners France knocked them out in the semi-finals.

Indeed, Belgium's third-place finish at the last World Cup was a respectable result for Martinez, whose overall record as manager is impressive, winning 55, drawing 12 and losing eight of his 75 games in charge; no other Belgium manager in history has won as many games as Martinez with the national team.

Prior to his spell in charge of the Red Devils, Martinez began his coaching career with Swansea City, where he won the League One title, before joining Wigan Athletic and steering them to a memorable FA Cup triumph in his final season at the club. The Spaniard then spent three years as Everton boss before stepping into international management with Belgium just over six years ago.

With Thierry Henry and Thomas Vermaelen among his backroom staff, Martinez will be hoping to mastermind a successful run all the way to the showpiece event in Qatar.

WORLD CUP RECORD

Best finish: Third place (2018)

Belgium's best-ever World Cup run came at the 2018 tournament in Russia when they finished third, losing 1-0 in the semi-finals to France courtesy of a second-half header from Samuel Umtiti, before beating England 2-0 in the third-place playoff.

Thirty-two years earlier, the Red Devils reached the final four for the first time in their history under the tutelage of Guy Thys, albeit riding their luck on several occasions at the tournament held in Mexico.

After scraping through the group stage with a third-place finish, Belgium required extra time to edge past the Soviet Union in the last 16 before beating Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals. Their run ultimately ended when a brace from Player of the Tournament Diego Maradona helped eventual winners Argentina secure a 2-0 semi-final victory.

Belgium were notably one of the four European nations who competed at the inaugural World Cup held in Uruguay back in 1930. However, the Red Devils failed to either qualify or progress past the first round until 1982 when they reached the second round.

Overall, Belgium have won 20, drawn nine and lost 19 of their 48 World Cup finals matches, scoring 68 goals and conceding 72 in the process.

PREDICTION

While many will regard Belgium as a contender to match or better their semi-finals effort of four years ago, the Red Devils have also been tipped to falter as soon as they reach the knockout rounds.

Should they advance from Group F and secure top spot, Belgium will likely face a challenging contest against either four-time world champions Germany or 2010 winners Spain in the last 16.

With Martinez's squad overly reliant on De Bruyne, lacking quality at the back and facing the prospect of playing without fitness doubts Lukaku and Hazard, Belgium may struggle to go deep into this year's tournament.

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