World Cup 2018 qualifying Group H leaders Belgium take on Gibraltar on Thursday evening, with the visitors having lost all of their six matches to date. Having picked up 16 points from a possible 18 on offer so far during qualifying, Belgium are the overwhelming favourites to strengthen their position at the top of the standings.
World Cup 2018 Qualifying – Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège – Thursday 31st August – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 40 at Ladbrokes |
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Belgium
GibraltarMatch Preview: Belgium vs Gibraltar
Having made it through to the quarter finals at Euro 2016, Belgium have made a superb start to their World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign, with a clash against Gibraltar likely to see them move further clear of their rivals in Group H. Having already scored 24 goals from their opening six matches, fans at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne are potentially in for a treat, especially given the fact that their opponents on Thursday have conceded the same amount from their fixtures.
Belgium Team News & Form
Having taken over as Belgium boss after Euro 2016, former Everton manager Roberto Martinez has enjoyed a fine start to his tenure, alongside the help of Thierry Henry. In terms of their playing squad, Romelu Lukaku has enjoyed a fine start to life at Manchester United, with the striker hoping that such form can be transferred onto the international stage. Elsewhere, Eden Hazard has been recalled despite having not played for Chelsea so far this season, alongside other Premier League stars including Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Benteke and Vincent Kompany. Belgium saw off Estonia last time around, with Greece being the only team to have taken a single point from them so far during qualifying.
Gibraltar Team News & Form
Having only been formed back in 2013, Gibraltar are unsurprisingly one of Europe’s poorest teams, with the minnows still searching for a first competitive win. Englishman Jeff Wood is in charge of the Gibraltar national team, with the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss having a small list of players to select from. Notts County midfielder Liam Walker is undoubtedly their star man, with the 29-year-old having made 24 appearances at this level, scoring one goal.
Head to Head
The meeting between the two teams back in October was the first ever meeting between Belgium and Gibraltar, with the Red Devils coming out on top with a 6-0 scoreline. As a result, there is little to go by in this area when looking to make a prediction, however such a dominant result makes Belgium the overwhelming favourites for the match, especially given their status as the home team.
Betting Odds and Predictions
With William Hill offering odds of 1/100 on Belgium winning this match, this is unlikely to be a market that gains a lot of attention. Despite this, this is an encounter that can be lucrative to punters, with a range of other markets to look into. Given their dominance last time around, backing Belgium to keep a clean sheet is certainly worth backing, with Ladbrokes offering odds of 1/6 on this market.
Elsewhere, betting on there being over 5.5 goals is another likely outcome, with odds of 2/7 available at Ladbrokes. Meanwhile, markets such as total team goals and last team to score are well worth utilising.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for this match is to bet on their being an even number of goals, which can be found at odds of 9/10 at Ladbrokes.