Rode Duivels visit Lumen Field ahead of Egypte opener

Lumen Field visit Saturday evening

The Rode Duivels will get their first look at Lumen Field on Saturday evening, the stadium where their World Cup campaign kicks off Monday against Egypte (1) (2). The squad arrived in Seattle on Friday after a midday flight from Brussels. The Belgian FA installed special lighting in the team hotel to help the players adjust to the nine-hour time difference.

Egypte opener locked in for Monday

Belgium's World Cup opener against Egypte is set for Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle (1). Egypte will lean heavily on Mo Salah. Former Lierse owner Maged Samy told Het Nieuwsblad: "Mo Salah is our Kevin De Bruyne, watch out for his final trick" (4). Samy, who follows the matchup closely, sees the parallels between the two talismans.

Doku: the burden can't just be Kev and Romelu

Jeremy Doku says Belgium's younger players must step up. "It's our duty to take that burden off Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku," Doku told FourFourTwo (5). He's talking about sharing the creative and scoring load, not leaving it all on the veteran shoulders.

Heat prep: sauna work for Egypte clash

The squad is using sauna and jacuzzi sessions to prepare for hot conditions expected against Egypte (3). The extra heat exposure is designed to help the players acclimatise ahead of Monday's match.