On Wednesday, Canada will play Belgium in their first World Cup match in 36 years. The match will take place at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. Many members of Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ may never get another shot at a major championship like this one. Belgium vs Canada Live Streaming, Prediction, Lineups & Preview Guide by Live Football TV.
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Belgium vs Canada Kick-Off Time
Belgium vs Canada will kick off at 10.00 pm Qatar time, 7:00 pm UK time, 8:00 pm Central European time, and 2:00 pm Eastern Time (ET).
Belgium vs Canada Preview
Roberto Martinez is under pressure to produce for Belgium after losses in Euro 2020 and the previous Nations League final. During UEFA qualifying, they averaged almost three goals per game, yet they regularly underperform at key games, as as their loss to Italy at the Euro Championships last summer.
Martinez has been accused of not knowing how to win, especially after losing to France in the Nations League after being 2-0 up. Recent losses to Netherlands at home and away and to Egypt in a warm-up friendly mean they’ve lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2014.
They have talent going forward, led by Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne. 16 goals at the 2018 World Cup topped the scoring records as a nation, as Martinez’s style of play fits attacking talent well. His tenure at Everton proved this, as Romelu Lukaku began his career under Martinez in the Premier League.
Lukaku’s injury woes mean Martinez will need to find an alternative up front, and Michy Batshuayi’s form in Turkey has been good this season in addition to his excellent scoring figures for Belgium, as the ex-Chelsea striker scores more than once every two games for his country. The mood in the Belgian camp isn’t great, but the Canadian team under John Herdman is ecstatic.
The Maple Leafs scored the most goals and allowed the fewest as they won CONCACAF qualification ahead of Mexico and the USA. For a young and inexperienced side, Canada can use this competition to prepare for the 2026 World Cup at home.
While the big names are all in attack, creating a competent defense has been vital to Canada’s growth over the previous four years. They kept seven clean sheets during the final round, not surrendering more than once in any game.
However, Canada’s away form is concerning, as they won only two of seven road matches in the qualifying and lost in Honduras in their last CONCACAF Nations League match.
Jonathan David and Cyle Larin did not start, so Herdman hopes it was a hiccup, but their results outside of Canada are not promising. Their only previous finals participation was in 1986, when they lost all three games without scoring. With a much superior roster this time around, they will be confident of improving despite a daunting group on paper.
Belgium vs Canada Team News
Lukaku’s fitness has been a problem for Belgium leading up to the tournament, and he won’t play in this group opener. Batshuayi is the likely starter, but Lois Openda might also play. Thorgan Hazard has been injured since Euro 2020, thus Timothy Castagne or Yannick Carrasco may replace him at left wing-back.
Thorgan’s brother Eden Hazard is Martinez’s favorite despite his lack of playing time at Real Madrid. He’ll presumably start on the left side of a three-pronged attack. Zeno Debast looks set to start after Dedryck Boyata and Jason Denayer were omitted from Martinez’s lineup.
Atiba Hutchinson should receive his 99th cap for Canada, 20 years after his debut. Alphonso Davies has a hamstring strain and is uncertain about this match.
Davies is Herdman’s primary man and important to how they may set up, since he can play full-back, wing-back, on the wing, or as a number 10. Larin and Tajon Buchanan play in Belgium for Club Brugge, as do most of Canada’s predicted starting XI.
Belgium vs Canada Lineups
Belgium possible XI:
Courtois; Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Debast; Meunier, Tielemans, Witsel, Castagne; De Bruyne, Batshuayi, E Hazard
Canada possible XI:
Borjan; Laryea, Johnston, Steven Vitoria, K Miller, Adekugbe; Buchanan, Hutchinson, Eustaquio; David, Larin
How to Watch Belgium vs Canada Match?
You can watch the Belgium vs Canada match on TV and stream it online. Check out our FIFA World Cup Official Broadcaster list to know which channel will telecast this Belgium vs Canada match in your region. fuboTV offers a great deal with the free trial to stream all the FIFA World Cup 2022 games in high definition for any device.
Belgium vs Canada Prediction
Belgium has enough talent to beat a young Canadian team, despite the difficulty of the buildup. Even though Canada would suffer greatly without Davies, they still have goal-scorers and a solid defensive structure that might cause Belgium some trouble at times.
