PREVIEW: Belgium and Egypt seek to take control of Group G in first World Cup meeting | OneFootball

Belgium and Egypt face each other for the first time in a competitive fixture looking for the perfect start in Group G after unbeaten World Cup qualifying campaigns.

Both sides went unbeaten in qualifying, with The Red Devils pipping Wales by two points in UEFA Group J while their opponents finished five ahead of Burkina Faso in CAF Group A to set up an intriguing encounter in Seattle.

They also enjoyed fine attacking displays in their respective campaigns. Egypt scored a total 20 goals from 10 matches, while Belgium found the net a whopping 29 times from just eight.

The Red Devils’ total was the second highest among all European nations, aside from Norway who notched a remarkable 37 goals during a stellar performance in qualifying.

But The Pharaohs had the better defensive record, conceding just two times during qualifying compared to Belgium’s seven, and have a superior head-to-head record – winning three, including their last match in 2022, compared to their opponents’ single victory.

Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku managed 11 goals between them during Belgium’s run in to the World Cup and are expected to start at number 10 and right wing respectively.

Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard could also feature after posting six goal contributions in the Champions League en route to the final, but may face competition from AC Milan’s Alexis Saelemaekers and young Lille hotshot Matias Fernandez-Pardo.

Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans, meanwhile, would consider themselves hard done by if they missed out following an outstanding Europa League triumph with Aston Villa last term.

It remains to be seen who starts up top, with Charles De Ketelaere, Romelu Lukaku and Lois Openda all being utilised during qualifying and neither finding the net more than twice.

But De Ketelaere appears to be preferred by manager Rudi Garcia, having started the majority of his side’s recent matches including their final pre-tournament friendly against Tunisia.

Mohamed Salah is guaranteed to start for Egypt, with the former Liverpool forward notching nine goals and three assists during qualification despite a subpar final season at Anfield given the high standard he had set himself in past campaigns.

Manchester City stirke Omar Marmoush will surely make the starting lineup after featuring in both of his nation’s three tournament friendlies.

Al Ahly forward Mahmoud Trezeguet will also fancy his chances, after scoring 11 times in 21 games in the Egyptian Premier League.

Belgium’s meeting with Egypt at Lumen Field, home to Seattle Sounders, kicks off at 20:00 (BST) with coverage available on BBC One and the BBC Sport website.

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