2022 FIFA World Cup: Belgium Team Preview, Odds, and Predictions

The World Cup is finally here. A few months later than normal but here nonetheless. And the team at RotoBaller has you covered for all your World Cup needs. We'll bring you DFS articles, game previews, and betting picks throughout the competition.

To get things going, we're previewing different international clubs every day until the big kick-off on Sunday, November 20th. Today we continue the previews with Belgium.

We'll be covering a brief snapshot of the nation's World Cup history, what to expect from the nation, a few highlighted players from the nation, and their predicted starting 11.

Today's World Cup Sportsbook Odds - Belgium 

• Caesars Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on Caesars
  • Bet Belgium to win the World Cup at +1600
  • Bet Belgium to win the Group at -143
• BetMGM Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on BetMGM!
  • Bet Belgium to win the World Cup at +1800
  • Bet Belgium to win the Group at -700
• DraftKings Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on DraftKings!
  • Bet Belgium to win the World Cup at +1800
  • Bet Belgium  to win the Group at -190
• PointsBet Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on PointsBet!
  • Bet Belgium to win the World Cup at +1800
  • Bet Belgium to win the Group at -145
• FanDuel Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on FanDuel!
  • Bet Belgium to win the World Cup at +1700

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Preview 

While Belgium winning a World Cup wouldn't poll as high as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo raising the trophy in December, no fan could suppress a smile if this golden generation finally comes good. After a not-so-surprising quarter-final berth at the 2014 World Cup, this team may have squandered their best chance at hardware at the 2016 Euros with a quarter-final exit versus Wales. Still, they bounced back with a third-place finish in Russia before another quarter-final exit against Italy at the 2020 Euros.

So this is essentially 'The Last Dance' for Belgium's greatest crop of footballers. Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and others will have one final shot at international glory before exiting their primes. But, unfortunately, even if they come out on top of Group F, they will have a difficult path to World Cup glory. Spain or Germany awaits in the Round of 16 before Brazil, Uruguay, or Portugal in the quarter-finals.

While we shouldn't expect Belgium to go all the way, they'll still have a surprise or two up their sleeve. The Red Devils have the experience and talent to shock the world one last time, as they did in 2018 with wins over Brazil and England. A repeat result of the 2018 tournament is in the cards, where Belgium falls to France in the semi-finals.

Prediction: 4th place

Who is Starting for (Belgium’s) Squad in the 2022 World Cup

Predicted Starting 11 (3-4-2-1): Courtois, Faes, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Castagne, Tielemans, Wiesel, Carrasco, De Bruyne, Hazard, Batshuayi

Alternate Options By Position:

GK: Casteels, Mignolet

DF: Debast, Dendoncker, Theate, Meunier

MF: Onana, Vanaken, Witsel

FW: De Ketelaere, Doku, Lukaku, Mertens, Openda, Trossard

Who Are Belgium's Best Players To Watch?

Defense: Timothy Castagne - WB (Leicester City)

Belgium's manager, Roberto Martinez, likes to deploy his wingbacks and have them bomb down the field in attacking positions. As a result, Timothy Castagne will have ample chances to feed his attacking compatriots. The Leicester City man is in fine form heading into the tournament and has the opportunity to cement his place in the starting eleven with a good showing in the group stages.

Castagne tallied a goal and two assists for the Foxes in the Premier League this year. In Friday's friendly versus Egypt, he played 82 minutes as a right wingback. Castagne is familiar to EPL fans but could find himself on the radar of some upper-echelon European teams with a few standout performances in Qatar. The rest of Belgium's defense is again, but the 26-year-old could become the real deal for the Red Devils in defense with a deep run at the World Cup.

Midfield: Kevin De Bruyne - CAM (Manchester City)

The rise of Belgium as a world power in the footballing landscape has mirrored the career of Kevin De Bruyne. Since joining the blue side of Manchester, KDB has won four Premier League titles, and led his country to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup, and two quarter-final sports in the Euros.

While new teammate Erling Harland is stealing all the domestic headlines this season, it's hard to argue that De Bruyne hasn't been the best player on the English shores over the last 18 months. The 31-year old has contributed 18 goals and 17 assists over 44 games in the Premier League and two goals and six assists in 14 Champions League games. The Red Devils will go as far as KDB can take them.

Forward: Michy Batshuayi - ST (Fenerbache)

While Romelo Lukaku is the Belgian forward, most football fans will be familiar with, it looks like Michy Batshuayi will get the first start of the 2022 World Cup when Belgium faces Canada. The 29-year-old plays his club football for Fenerbache in Turkey these days but is still producing goals. In 13 games between the Super Lig and Europa League, Batshuayi has eight goals and one assist.

He's been on the bench in previous competitions but has put it all together for his country in 2022. During Belgium's six games in the UEFA Nation's League, Batshuayi scored three goals and set up a further three for his countrymen. With De Bruyne and Eden Hazard supplying the chances, the former Chelsea and Crystal Palace player will have plenty of opportunities to add to his international goal total.

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