Belgium vs Senegal
Two nations who enter the knockout phase on the back of thumping victories come face-to-face on Wednesday, when World Cup 2026: Belgium vs Senegal will pack the fans into the Lumen Field Stadium in Seattle.
The Red Devils will meet the Lions of Teranga just days after they both hit a high five in their final group game, Rudi Garcia’s Belgium whacking New Zealand 5-1 while Pape Thiaw’s Senegal scored five unanswered goals against Iraq to secure their Round of 32 place.
Both nations came to the World Cup hoping for a strong showing after a previous disappointments and the Belgium vs Senegal betting odds say we’re in for a battle royal on Wednesday; one of these expectant nations will be gutted at the final whistle; so let’s take a look at the two nations and try to work out which will triumph.
Talking Points
Can Belgium kick on?
The Red Devils came alive in their clash against New Zealand, winning in impressive style after they had failed to turn superiority into points in their matches against Egypt and Iran, drawing 1-1 and 0-0. Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard opened the scoring on 28 minutes, pouncing when a corner from Kevin De Bruyne bounced off a Kiwi defender and the same combination brought Trossard a second, five minutes after the half-time break. It was then the turn of Napoli ace De Bruyne to get on the scoresheet with a trademark 20-yard effort cleanly hit into the bottom corner. After Elijah had scored a consolation for New Zealand, Romelu Lukaku headed in the fourth just a minute after coming off the bench, and Alex Saalemaekers made it a fab five in stoppage time.
After leaving the squad to be with his wife at the birth of their first child, Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku returned to the fold and was substituted on the hour. The tricky winger will be a key player as the tournament goes on, he’s a potential match-winner, but he needs a run in the team and that relies on the players around him delivering as well.
Belgium’s warm-ups yielded confident wins over Croatia and Tunisia but then the Red Devils ran out of steam when the World Cup started. And while they had plenty of possession and chances in both their two flat draws they only showed what they can do against a low-ranked team in New Zealand; the Red Devils need to up their game.
De Bruyne remains the key man, but in Doku, Trossard and Lukaku Belgium have proven quality in their creative unit and now they have to find a way of imposing themselves on teams, before they meet the likes of Spain or Argentina.
Senegal’s attack versus defence
Stripped of their 2025 AFCON title the Lions of Teranga came to the USA with a sense of injustice and, after losing their first two games they took it out on Iraq in brutal fashion. Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr was on target in another all-action display while Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye helped himself to a brace, with Habib Diarra and Iliman Ndiaye also on the score sheet.
With Nicolas Jackson and Sadio Mane in the attacking group, this is a team full of goals but at the other end of the pitch the Lions of Teranga have been found wanting, conceding three against both France and Norway. They need to be more compact in defence and veteran centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly must lead by example.
History
Belgium are at their 15th World Cup finals, coming closest in 2018 when they had a third-place finish while this is Senegal’s fourth appearance at the finals, and their big moment came in 2002 when they reached the quarter-finals. They have never faced each other in competition, so, without any historical head-to-head Belgium vs Senegal results to work on, how have the toe nations shaped up this year?
Belgium have been a little hit and miss but are unbeaten in their last six games, winning three and drawing three, while Senegal have win two, drawn one and lost three of their last six.
Betting Tip
Senegal can be backed at SBOTOP odds of 3.60 and the draw at 3.10, with the Double Chance: Senegal or Draw at 1.62. The Africans have some dangerous players in their group, but I think Belgium have the deeper squad and more quality, so I expect the Red Devils to come through this potentially difficult test.
With two nations in good scoring form, for an alternative bet I’d go for Over 2.50 goals at a price of 2.15.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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