It’s easy to wonder whether or not Belgium is second-guessing itself right now. Coming into their final match of the Group Stage with England, the two countries were tied and both were incentivized to lose. Each nation had already qualified for the knockout rounds, and the loser would likely get a much easier bracket to the World Cup Final. Belgium ended up getting the win, but if they had lost they would have been favored to make it out of that side of the bracket following Spain’s stunning loss to Russia. Instead, they must face Brazil in the Quarterfinals and likely France in the Semifinals (if they make it past Brazil) in order to get there.
The most anticipated sporting event in the world comes around once every four years, so don’t miss any of the 2018 World Cup. This match will take place at Kazan Arena in Kazan at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, July 6, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FS1.
World Cup Quarterfinals Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Belgium +363
Brazil -105
Draw +221
Over/Under 2
Recent Form
Brazil has been slowly improving with every match. Their first performance was not great at all, they settled for a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in a match they could have lost. However, they followed that up with a 2-0 win over Costa Rica, albeit an uneasy one, and a 2-0 win over Serbia to win Group E.
In their Round of 16 match with Mexico, they played their best half of football yet. After struggling to do much in the first half, Brazil were able to impressively control the flow of the second half and emerge with a comfortable 2-0 win. Neymar and Philippe Coutinho were the goal scorers, and the defense performed great too in the match.
As for Belgium, they are one of just two teams to win every match at the World Cup thus far without the need for extra time. They waltzed over Panama and Tunisia in the Group Stage prior to their win over England, and that set up what seemed to be an easy draw with Japan. However, the Samurai Blue gave them a much tougher fight than expected.
The Belgians fell behind 2-0 shortly after halftime, and it seemed like their hopes were dashed. They had been able to control possession and get good opportunities, but they were unable to find the back of the net. Yet that changed with a somewhat fortunate Jan Vertonghen header in the 69th minute, and five minutes later the game was equalized after a Marouane Fellaini header. Nacer Chadli provided the decisive tally in the fourth minute of stoppage time after a beautiful run and dummy from Romelu Lukaku to send Belgium into euphoria and keep their hopes of a first World Cup title alive.
Player to Watch
Philippe Coutinho has been Brazil’s best player at the World Cup, even better than Neymar. Coutinho has been consistently solid each time he has gone on the pitch with impressive performances. He has been able to set up his teammates very well, while also unleashing devastating strikes that leave a goalkeeper hapless. His play will be pivotal here.
Key Injury
Brazil has received some good news on the injury front. Right back Marcelo and forward Douglas Costa have both returned to practice and are fully practicing with the team now. Getting Marcelo back is especially important, because it looks like Brazil’s other outside back, Danilo, might not return for another World Cup match. That stretched the reserves thin and left them exposed along the flanks in their last match as well. Belgium would take advantage of that if Marcelo wasn’t in there.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
The over is a great play in this match. Both teams should want to play relatively open in this one, and there are going to be a lot of great scoring chances.
World Cup Quarterfinals Odds: Brazil 3, Belgium 2 AET
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