Belgium v Canada: Minnows have pace to cause problems

Belgium v Canada betting tips, odds and preview

Belgium should be winning every tournament with this so-called ‘golden generation’ if some pundits are to be believed but could have their limitations exposed in their World Cup opener against Canada.

Belgium winning odds of 4/9 suggest a routine win for the Europeans but Canada will be determined to make an impact on their return to the global stage despite being the outsiders in the Group F betting.

The Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan hosts Wednesday’s match with a 7pm kick-off and the match is live on the BBC.

Canada could catch Belgium cold

Belgium produced their greatest ever World Cup performance by finishing third four years ago and face a tough task going even further this time.

They have a settled squad which has changed little since the tournament in Russia in 2018, which means 11 of their squad are now over 30.

A centre-back pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld has a combined age of 68 and looks vulnerable to pace, which Canada will be keen to exploit.

First training session in Kuwait, searching for our best version! #deviltime 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/Pm0wqnYZoO

— Thibaut Courtois (@thibautcourtois) November 16, 2022

In striker Jonathan Davies and winger Alphonso Davies, Canada can hit Belgium on the break with speed and deserve respect after finishing top in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying where they were also the top scorers.

Canada are 6/1 to cause an upset and 17/10 to avoid defeat, while 5/2 for them to score first is a tempting option for Belgium v Canada betting tips.

Goals look likely

Belgium may need to use the group stage to get some of their star players up to speed.

Romelu Lukaku’s recent injury problems mean he looks unlikely to start against Canada while Eden Hazard has struggled for game time at Real Madrid and made just three appearances in La Liga this season.

Any team containing Kevin De Bruyne should still be able to create plenty of chances against a team lacking experience at this level though, with this being Canada’s first World Cup appearance since 1986.

An entertaining game could be in store and looking at the Belgium v Canada odds, over 3.5 goals is an option at 7/4 while Belgium to win and both teams to score is 21/10.

David out to slay giants

Lukaku is the obvious favourite to score first at 5/2 but Michy Batshuayi looks more likely to start up front for Belgium and is 3/1 to open the scoring.

Leandro Trossard is another tempting alternative at 9/2 given the form he has been in for Brighton this season, with his seven goals including a hat-trick at Liverpool plus strikes against Manchester City and Chelsea.

John Herdman Roster Reaction 🍁

"I think right at the core is loyalty, trust and brotherhood. I think this is going to be an X-factor for Canada at this World Cup."#WeCAN pic.twitter.com/3ZJ5H47l41

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) November 13, 2022

Canada’s main man David is joint-fourth in the goal charts in France with nine goals for Lille and is 9/1 to score first, but Coral have boosted his odds to score at any time from 16/5 to 7/2 so that makes sense as the last of our Belgium v Canada predictions.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication