With the knockout stage just one victory away, Belgium are sweating on the fitness of captain and defender Vincent Kompany ahead of their World Cup Group H game against Russia.
After wearing down Algeria’s defense before coming from behind to win, Belgium could well face a similar battle of attrition against Russia at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana today.
“We play dominant and we always try to win,” Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said on Friday, adding that if Russia falls back, it is only a sign that “teams respect Belgium now.”
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In defense, Wilmots has always relied on Kompany to keep the way to goal nearly impregnable. To lose the Manchester City defender, who is nursing a groin strain, would be a serious blow.
“He should be able to rejoin training,” Wilmots said.
Apart from the team conceding a first-half penalty, Kompany ran a tight back line and Algeria never came close to scoring again in Belgium’s 2-1 victory in the opener.
At least Wilmots has a healthy cushion since Belgium lead the group with three points, ahead of Russia and South Korea with one. Algeria have zero points.
Victory on Sunday would see Belgium through and might also allow Wilmots to give Kompany a rest ahead of the knockout stage.
“We are in a good position. It is not the time to do crazy things,” Wilmots said.
For Russia, coach Fabio Capello has to decide whether to stick with goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, whose blunder by letting a soft shot slip through his hands allowed South Korea to draw 1-1 in their opening game.
If Russia come out looking for victory, it might offer the time and space for playmaker Eden Hazard to make a real impact on the World Cup with the creative moves that have made him such a key player for Chelsea in the English Premier League, and it might set Belgium’s top striker Romelu Lukaku free after a disappointing game against Algeria.
He has already scored twice against Russia in a previous match.
“That was an amazing game. This is different. We should only be thinking about the three points,” Lukaku said.
Wilmots shows lots of respect for his Russia counterpart Capello, fully realizing he is too cunning a coach to fall for any easy trap. Yet if Russia fall back, do not count on Belgium to push forward with all their might either.
“If we will play against a wall, we have to learn to be patient,” Wilmots said.
It is exactly what Belgium did against Algeria in their opener, tiring the Africans with possession play, before making the breakthrough with fresh substitutes in the second half.
“They are not the fastest players in the world,” said Belgium defender Nicolas Lombaerts, who has been playing in Russia for Zenit St Petersburg since 2007. “With our speedy forwards, we should be able to exploit that weakness.”
Russia came into the World Cup with plenty of ambition after winning a qualifying group which also included Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. Their poor showing in the 1-1 draw against South Korea made their entry in the tournament all the more disappointing.
So far, Russia have still been unable be to make up for the absence of Roman Shirokov — a driving force in midfield, who was a last-minute omission for Brazil because of injury. It is an absence that his teammates will need to overcome today.
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