Doku returns as Belgium stare down New Zealand decider

Doku back with Belgium after son's birth

Jérémy Doku rejoined the squad Wednesday morning after a whirlwind trip to London. He left the Belgium camp to attend the birth of his son and returned less than two days later (2) (6) (7). His teammates greeted him with a guard of honour and applause, and Doku called it "the assist of his life" (2) (6). He is expected to be fully available for Saturday.

Saturday is everything against New Zealand

Belgium face New Zealand on Saturday at 5am Belgian time in a winner-takes-the-group match (1). Two draws so far, 1–1 against Egypt and 0–0 against Iran, have left Rudi Garcia's side needing a result (1). Hans Vanaken praised his link with Romelu Lukaku: "We are very complementary" (1). The pair spent a rest day together, with Lukaku hitting the arcade to decompress (1).

Verstraete shares insight on New Zealand

Louis Verstraete knows New Zealand better than anyone in this squad. He played there until recently and has been asked to brief the staff on what to expect (3). He kept the specifics quiet: "No, I haven't given away many secrets about the Red Devils" (3). Whatever he passed on stays in the camp.

Opta gives Belgium 90.33% chance to advance

The Opta supercomputer ran the numbers. Belgium have a 90.33% probability of reaching the knockout stage and just 1.19% to win the tournament (8). Even a third-place finish keeps the door open, a draw against New Zealand could still send your team through on a favourable path (5).

France could be waiting in the last 16

The knockout bracket is already taking shape. Belgium could land on a relatively soft path, or they could run straight into France in the first knockout round (4). Much depends on the New Zealand result and how other groups finish (4) (5).