#PredictWorldCupWin40000U

Belgium 🆚 Senegal 🇸🇳
Here’s the most dangerous match of July 2. On paper Belgium is shown as the favorite, but Senegal showed the whole world what they can do in 2022. My clear view: There’s the smell of an upset in this game. Score prediction: Senegal 1-1 Belgium, Senegal advances in extra time.

Belgium’s golden generation has aged. De Bruyne is still a magician, but he can’t produce the same tempo for 90 minutes every game. Lukaku is physically a finisher, but he’s not as effective with his back to goal as he used to be. Doku and Bakayoko are very fast, but they lack experience. In defense, Vertonghen is 39 years old and Faes is prone to mistakes. Belgium keeps the ball but struggles with creativity in the box.

Senegal, on the other hand, is a tournament team. Cissé’s 4-1-4-1 is one of the most disciplined defenses in the world. Koulibaly leads, Amrabat screens in front of them, and Bono wins games in goal. In attack there’s Mané, Sarr, and Jackson. Mané especially is a big-game player. Senegal’s plan is simple: let Belgium play, give them the ball, then kill them in transitions with Hakimi and Sarr. Plus, Koulibaly and Niakhaté are very dangerous on set pieces.

Match scenario: Belgium has 68% possession but can’t create chances. In the 38th minute, Senegal counterattacks, Mané gets the ball on the left, cuts it inside, Jackson taps into an empty net, 0-1. Belgium’s pressure increases in the second half. In the 76th, Lukaku heads in De Bruyne’s corner to make it 1-1. Regular time ends like that. Senegal stays fresher in extra time. Bamba Dieng comes on in the 108th, and scores in a scramble in the 112th.

Why Senegal? Because Belgium can’t handle the pressure and Senegal’s physical strength makes the difference after the 100th minute. Upset potential: High. If I’m picking one game, this is the bracket-buster matchup.