Belgium can bully Tunisia into submission

World Cup Group G
BBC1, 1pm Saturday

Belgium came into the World Cup with the label of being flat-track bullies and after living up to that tag on matchday one they can repeat the trick against Tunisia in the Spartak Stadium in Moscow.

The Red Devils were easy 3-0 winners over Panama, cruising to maximum points despite being held goalless in the first period, and it was important for Roberto Martinez to see so many of his influential performers play crucial roles in the triumph.

Romelu Lukaku has earned a reputation for picking up cheap goals against soft opponents so it should have come as no surprise to see the Belgian beast bag a brace, although he was upstaged to some extent by Dries Mertens's beautiful opener.

Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne played their parts in creating the opportunities for Lukaku as Belgium continued their qualifying form of beating up inferior sides.

In their group they scored 43 goals in ten matches to equal Germany's record and it was pretty much the same story on their way to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals with Ireland (3-0) and Hungary (4-0) put to the sword before collapsing in the last-eight defeat to Wales.

Belgium's football is not the smoothest despite their excellent individual qualities but they rely on moments of brilliance to get the job done and the shorter odds of the alternative minus one Asian handicap is preferred to the general higher line at bigger prices.

Martinez's men may well need to change their 3-4-3 formation later in the competition with left-winger Yannick Carrasco uncomfortable in defensive situations and there was a glimpse into the future during the second half against Panama when the side switched to 4-3-3.

When that happens Jan Vertonghen shuffles across to left-back and Tottenham teammate Mousa Dembele adds beef to the midfield which frees up De Bruyne to get closer to the potential match-winning front three of Lukaku, Hazard and Mertens.

Match reports

Belgium v Panama

Tunisia v England

Belgium's outright backers will no doubt hope Martinez sees it the same way but that's no certainty though given his tactical naivety which came to the fore in club football.

However, it should not matter against such limited opponents as Tunisia, who were fortunate to escape with a 2-1 defeat to England despite nearly grabbing a point until Harry Kane popped up with a late winner.

Rough expected goals estimates suggested they should have conceded three goals, while as an attacking force Tunisia's chances of scoring were ranked at 0.1 excluding the soft penalty conceded by Kyle Walker.

Goalkeeper Mouez Hassen was injured in that match, joining chief creator Youssef Msakni and regular forward Taha Yassine Khenissi on the sidelines and it is difficult to see where the goals will come from.

Recommendation
Belgium -1 on Asian handicap
2pts 10-17 188Bet

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The lowdown

Belgium
Team news
Vincent Kompany is still not fit but fellow centre-back Thomas Vermaelen has returned to training.

Strengths
Their superb individual quality in the final third should break down inferior opponents at some stage. They have a variety of decent attacking options on the bench if Plan A is not working.

Weaknesses
Tunisia coach Nabil Maaloul thinks he has spotted a weakness - "the Belgian defence is slow," he said. They don't have fantastic pace but a bigger issue is the space vacated behind wing-back Yannick Carrasco.

Key man
Romelu Lukaku has scored 11 of Belgium's last 18 goals and the Red Devils' most prolific player is enjoying his work under the guidance of attacking coach Thierry Henry.

Tunisia
Team news
Goalkeeper Mouez Hassen has been ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury. Left-back Ali Maaloul will reportedly lose his spot to Oussama Haddadi.

Strengths
In the second half against England they defended deep and limited the space in behind, which seemed to suit influential centre-back Syam Ben Youssef. They may need a similar approach in this game.

Weaknesses
Tunisia looked hopeless defending set-pieces, with England getting the first contact on virtually every corner. There was little goal threat and they were criticised back home for being so negative

Key man
Farouk Ben Mustapha was seen by many as third-choice keeper heading into the finals and will need to perform against Belgium. One Tunisian newspaper called the injured Mouez Hassen "irreplaceable."

Key stat
Belgium have notched 18 tournament goals since the start of the 2014 World Cup but only three of those were scored in the first half.

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