Belgium will be the overwhelming favourites when they take on tournament debutants Panama in their FIFA World Cup 2018 – opener on Monday.
Belgium made it to the FIFA World Cup 2018 by topping their qualification group – going unbeaten in the process.
Not surprisingly, the expectations are sky high from the players considered to be a ‘golden generation’. With the games against Tunisia and England set to be tough, Belgium will be keen to hit the ground running against Panama.
⚽️ Focus & happiness ?#REDTOGETHER #WorldCup
? #BELPAN pic.twitter.com/GA6towcrFV— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) June 16, 2018
Belgium, however, have been hit by some injury blows. Manchester City defender Kompany injured his groin in a friendly against Portugal, while Barcelona’s, Thomas Vermaelen suffered a hamstring injury last month. Neither of the two players will play the opener.
On the other hand, Panama will have their task cut out against Belgium. While they are unlikely to win this contest, they should take motivation from some shocking results in this competition already.
Panama are entering the game after a poor buildup. They lost to Denmark, Switzerland and Norway in their warm-up matches.
A ritmo de tocar y mover sostiene la selección nacional su último entrenamiento en Saransk. En las próximas horas el representativo viajará a Sochi, ciudad sede del primer duelo para #PanamáEnRusia. #TodosSomosPanamá pic.twitter.com/WUrB3rL56I
— FEPAFUT (@fepafut) June 16, 2018
Sportzwiki brings you all you need to know ahead of the clash between the two sides.
Venue and time:
Belgium and Panama will lock horns in Sochi. The action will begin at 8:30 PM IST.
Players to look out for:
While it is tough to choose one player from the star-studded Belgian lineup, one can say all eyes will be on Eden Hazard. The forward had a forgettable season with Chelsea in 2017/18 season.
He, however, had shown flashes of brilliance including the winner against Manchester United in the FA Cup final. He will be keen to move on from the forgettable season and make a mark in the competition.
For Panama, the player to watch out for will be Roman Torres. The towering defender is the face of Panama football and will be desperate to help his side make a promising start. Panama will be relying on him to stop Belgium’s fiery forward line.
Where to watch:
The Indians fans will enjoy extensive coverage of the game. The English coverage will be shown on SONY TEN 2 SD and HD channels.
The Hindi feed will be aired on SONY TEN 3 SD and HD channels. Bengali and Malayali feed will be available on SONY ESPN SD channel.
Squads:
| Position | Belgium players |
| Goalkeepers | Courtois, Mignolet, Casteels |
| Defenders | Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Kompany, Vertonghen, Meunier, Boyata, Dendoncker |
| Midfielders | De Bruyne, Witsel, Fellaini, Carrasco, T. Hazard, Tielemans, Dembele, Chadli |
| Forwards | E. Hazard, Lukaku, Batshuayi, Mertens, Januzaj |
| Position | Panama players |
| Goalkeepers | Penedo, Calderon, A. Rodriguez |
| Defenders | Murillo, Cummings, Escobar, R. Torres, Machado, Davis, Ovalle, Baloy |
| Midfielders | G. Gomez, Barcenas, Cooper, Pimentel, Avila, Godoy, J. Rodriguez |
| Forwards | Perez, G. Torres, Diaz, Arroyo, Tejada |
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