England are heading in to the World Cup for the first time in memory with hope rather than expectation. The team is clearly not as strong as it has been in the past and this has led to far less pressure being put on the squad to succeed. This could be just what the team has required and Southgate has selected a youthful approach to the squad which could pay off in Russia. England will certainly be looking to improve on their very disappointing performance having lost in the round of 16 to Iceland back at Euro 2016.
The latest World Cup 2018 group odds have Belgium in at 8/13 to finish top with England at 13/10. The fact that Belgium are also 1/33 and England 1/12 to qualify just shows the gulf in class and it will certainly be a major shock if they both don’t progress through to the knock out stages ahead of Tunisia and Panama. England are 16/1 to go all the way and land the title with captain Kane leading the line hoping to bring in his form from another stellar club campaign to the biggest stage of World football.
Belgium on the other hand are in at just 10/1 following their incredible recent rise resulting in them now being ranked 3rd behind giants Germany and Brazil in the rankings. They have one of the top squads in World football with a never ending list of top talent. So who are the key dangers to England ahead of the upcoming tournament? Check out the infographic below to find this out.
One player who is likely to lead the line for the exciting outfit is Manchester United star Romelu Lukaku. England fans and players will certainly be aware of the threat the 25 year old possesses. Lukaku on his day is unplayable and a big physical threat to any defender as shown on many occasions in his playing time at Everton and his early days at United. Following his big money move to Manchester United he has certainly been below this standard but this may be down to the defensive nature of the united side under Jose Mourinho not always playing to his strengths. Considering he has 33 goals in his 67 international starts gives another firm indication that England will certainly need to note him down as a major danger when they clash on the 28th June.