Belgium vs Algeria: Lukaku goals lead the top 3 best bets
Published:Belgium’s status as dark horses for the World Cup in Brazil is set to be put to the test with a tricky opener against Algeria – the North African nation that held England to a 0-0 draw four years ago.
Both sides head into the game in good form but it’s the Red Devils who start as 4/9 favourites for the win, with the Fennec Foxes a distant 7/1 for victory, while the draw is priced at 10/3 with Ladbrokes.
But with Marc Wilmots’ side boasting an impressive array of attacking talents, we’ve picked out three inspired pro-Belgium bets to back.
A total of seven teams – Brazil, Holland, Chile, Colombia, Italy, France and Argentina – have so far scored in both halves of their respective World Cup openers and if you believe Belgium should be considered among this group of tournament contenders, a repeat against Algeria looks assured.
Five of the Red Devils’ eight wins in qualifying came in games where Marc Wilmot’s team scored in both halves, while Belgium have also netted either side of half-time in two of their last three friendlies.
Set to lead the line in the absence of Christian Benteke, this encounter with Algeria represents Lukaku’s best opportunity to get off to a flyer in Brazil, in much the same way two-goal heroes Robin Van Persie and Karim Benzema have for Holland and France respectively.
A tally of three in his last four for Belgium suggests the Chelsea man is in good form and having claimed a match-winning brace against Croatia in the intimidating atmosphere of Zagreb during qualifying, an Algeria team with one clean sheet in three should pose few problems.
Two was something of a magic number for Belgium in qualifying with the Red Devils racking up four wins by that precise scoreline during qualifying for the World Cup.
Belgium also scored exactly two goals in six of their eight victories in the preliminary stage of the competition and could be in line for another 2-0 win against an Algeria side that has failed to even find the net in any of their last five appearances at the finals.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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