Belgium could leave Panama up the canal without a paddle

World Cup Group G
BBC1, 4pm Monday

Group G looks the most unbalanced of all the sections and a harsh lesson is on the cards for debutants Panama when they face Belgium in Sochi.

Before the tournament began, Panama were quoted alongside Saudi Arabia as 2,000-1 rank outsiders.

The Saudis looked hopelessly out of their depth against Russia on Thursday and there is the possibility of an even bigger class differential between Panama and Belgium.

A lot will depend on the Belgians' thirst for goals but it makes sense for them to target a big victory at the start of a group which may go down to goal difference.

Belgium and England are 1-12 and 1-7 to reach the last 16 and, barring major hiccups, the battle for first place is likely to boil down to their match in Kaliningrad next Thursday.

The challenge for Belgium is to arrive at that fixture with six points and a healthy goal difference and their best chance of a goal glut is against an ageing Panama side who are generously perched at 55th in the Fifa rankings.

Panama qualified in third place in the Concacaf region despite winning just three of their ten group games and finishing with a negative goal difference.

They scored nine goals, eight of them in home games, and scrambled over the line with a 2-1 home victory over Costa Rica, who had already qualified for the finals with a game to spare.

Over the full 16-game qualification process, which included home and away matches against Haiti and Jamaica, Panama scored 16 goals.

None of their players scored more than two and the lack of quality up front is an major concern.

Veteran forwards Blas Perez and Luis Tejeda have scored 43 goals each at international level but, at the ages of 37 and 36, they are well past their best.

The same could be said of 37-year old centre-back and captain Felipe Baloy, who plays his club football in Guatemala and faces a huge step up in class.

Six of Panama's squad play for Major League Soccer teams but there is nothing to seriously worry the Belgians, who should be looking to fill their boots.

Belgium's golden generation are in their prime and this looks their best chance to win the game's biggest prize.

Star men Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard are at their peak and there is a strong defensive base despite Vincent Kompany's absence from the first two games at least.

They still have to prove they can rise to the occasion of a high-stakes match against one of the top teams but there is plenty of evidence of them brushing aside poor opposition.

The Red Devils were the joint-top scorers in European qualification with 43 goals and six of their nine wins were by three goals or more.

Bigger tests await them but they couldn't have asked for a gentler start and they should be in the ascendency by half-time.

Recommendation
Belgium-Belgium double result
2pts 7-10 Coral

Bet on this game at Soccerbase.com

The lowdown

Belgium
Team news
Vincent Kompany (groin) and Thomas Vermaelen (hamstring) are ruled out. Dedryck Boyata is set to start in the back three.

Strengths
They are strong all across the pitch. Premier League stars Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne have the responsibility to steer the Belgians deep into the tournament.

Weaknesses
There may be a problem in terms of mentality when it comes to the big games. It was hard to reconcile how poor they were against Wales in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals.

Key man
De Bruyne was the best player for Manchester City this season and arrives in Russia full of confidence.

Panama
Team news
Midfielder Alberto Quintero suffered a foot injury in the last warm-up game and was replaced in the squad by Ricardo Avila. Ramon Torres (hamstring) is available.

Strengths
Adolfo Machado has a decent long throw and manager Hernan Dario Gomez has plenty of World Cup experience from his spells in charge of Colombia and Ecuador.

Weaknesses
Panama's better players are past their best and there is a lack of quality up front.

Key man
Panama need somebody to offer a touch of the unexpected and Gomez is putting a lot of faith in 19-year-old offensive midfielder Jose Rodriguez, who has signed a three-year-contract with Gent.

Key stat
Panama have failed to score in four of their last five matches.

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