In one of the more curious matchday 3 fixtures, England and Belgium battle for the potentially punishing honour of topping Group G, at 7pm on ITV.

You could reason that finishing 1st in your group is a significant confidence boost, in theory allowing you to carry over a fair amount of momentum into the knockouts. However, and it’s a pretty effin’ massive however, there’s a very, VERY compelling argument to be made for avoiding the side of the draw featuring Uruguay, Portugal, France, Argentina and Brazil at all costs. That’s the debate facing England and Belgium as they head into their Group G decider.



What makes the situation even tenser is that both nations have the exact same record: 2 wins, 8 goals scored and 2 conceded. If Thursday’s game ends in a draw then it’ll come down to the number of cards accumulated by each side, with England on 2 yellows and Belgium on 3. Equal after that? Then it’s the drawing of lots!

Both nations are set to make a fair few changes for their trip to Kaliningrad. Romelu Lukaku, who still has a Super Mega PGM of 20-24, is on the bench, providing an opportunity for Michy Batshuayi, at 24-29, to sharpen up after scuffing a couple of opportunities against Tunisia. For England, Jamie Vardy could make an appearance at 26-31, but with Harry Kane, at 36-42, keen to extend his Golden Boot-chasing tally.

It’s difficult to see how exactly Thursday’s game will pan out, but Gareth Southgate’s men appear to have the edge, at an England/Belgium Goal Supremacy spread of 0-0.2 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.15-2.35.

Former Group H favourites Colombia ideally require a win over Senegal if they are to reach the last-16, at 3pm on BBC One. Taken to 10 men within 3 minutes of their competition beginning, the South American side had a nightmare start to the World Cup. Yet that loss to Japan was followed by a rousing display against Poland, a 3-0 victory featuring goals from Yerry Mina, Radamel Falcao and Juan Cuadrado.



Senegal, meanwhile, shocked Poland in their first game, beating the Eastern Europeans, before twice giving up their lead against Japan in their 2-2 draw. And the Africans have less to do than their opponents, requiring just a point to reach the knockouts in only their 2nd ever World Cup. However may struggle to do even that, with Spreadex offering a Colombia/Senegal Goal Supremacy spread of 0.65-0.85 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.5-2.7.

Finally Japan only require a point against the already eliminated Poland, at 3pm on BBC Two, if they are to qualify for the knockouts. One of the more spirited surprises this tournament, the Japanese currently sit top of Group H, and need just a point from their matchday 3 fixture.



As for Poland, they are looking to rescue an abysmal World Cup campaign with an admittedly meaningless win. Qualification top scorer Robert Lewandowski is yet to find the back of the net, and sits at a sizeable Super Mega PGM of 43-50. The overall results is too close to call, with Spreadex offering a choice Japan/Poland Goal Supremacy spread of -0.1-0.1 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.3-2.5.