Belgium can confirm their participation in next year’s World Cup Finals when they take on Greece on Sunday evening, with Roberto Martinez’s men having dropped just two points from their opening seven Group H fixtures. Meanwhile, despite a frustrating draw with Estonia already this week, the home side will be looking to move further clear of their rivals with a positive result in front of their home support.
World Cup 2018 Qualifying – Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus – Sunday 3rd September – 19:45 UK Time
Match Preview
Coming off the back of a 9-0 win against Gibraltar, Belgium are full of confidence as they travel to Greece, knowing that only a minor miracle would see them miss out on a place in Russia next year. However, with the home side also being unbeaten in qualifying so far, it could well be a close encounter in Piraeus this weekend, with Greece needing a win in order to stay in the play-off position in Group H.
Greece Team News & Form
Despite being unbeaten so far, four draws mean that Greece find themselves six points behind Sunday’s opponents in the standings, with Michael Skibbe’s men still facing a significant battle in order to qualify over their remaining three fixtures. After missing out on their draw with Estonia following his transfer to Marseille, Kostas Mitroglou could well return to the starting line-up against Belgium, with Nottingham Forest Apostolos Vellios struggling to make an impact last time around. It is undoubtedly Greece’s defensive solidity that has guided them to second place in the table so far, with the likes of Vasilis Torosidis and Papastathopoulos helping them to concede just three goals to date.
Belgium Team News & Form
Belgium will be looking to seal their qualification in style with a win in Greece on Sunday, with the Red Devils having won six of their seven matches to date, scoring a massive 33 goals in the process. Both PSG defender Thomas Meunier and Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku scored hat-tricks against Gibraltar on Thursday, however Alex Witsel will miss out against Greece after his red card. The Greeks earned a valuable point against Belgium back in March, however the likes of Eden Hazard, Yannick Carrasco and Dries Mertens will be looking to ensure that they have no such luck this time around.
Head to Head
As previously mentioned, the two teams played out an entertaining 1-1 draw last time around, with a late Romelu Lukaku goal breaking Greek hearts. Over the years, it is Greece who have the better record against Belgium, winning three of their eight encounters, whilst drawing the same amount. However, their last victory dates back to 2003, with the last two meetings between the duo having ended in stalemates.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Thanks to their record during qualifying so far, Belgium are the slight favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers, with Ladbrokes offering best odds of 10/11. However, for those looking to back Greece to inflict a first defeat for the visitors, the same platform provides odds of 7/2. Elsewhere, backing Belgium to win by a single goal is well worth considering given Greece’s defensive capabilities, with 10Bet offering odds of 2/1 on this market.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on the double chance market at 10Bet, with Belgium or Draw found at odds of 4/23.