Out of all the sides left in the World Cup at the quarter-final stage, Belgium are perhaps the ones with the most to prove to the watching world. They were incredibly fortunate to come through their round of 16 match against an impressive Japanese side but in all honesty, the most important thing is that they found a way to win.
Now against Brazil, we will see Belgium face their toughest test yet in the tournament although if the Belgians can come through this match then they will feel that they have a real chance of winning their first World Cup.
With that said, however, there is a significant difference between talking about beating a team like Brazil and actually doing it on the pitch. Here we will look at the various tactical battles that Roberto Martinez and his Belgian side will have to win in order to progress to the semi-finals.
The midfield battle
Throughout the tournament Roberto Martinez has chosen to stick with his favoured variant of 3-4-3 with the Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne fulfilling a deeper role as part of a two-man central midfield as opposed to the more attacking role that he has at club level with a player like Fernandinho sitting and offering a sense of security as De Bruyne moves forward.
Playing in the 3-4-3 at the World Cup we have seen De Bruyne struggle at times to fully settle into playing as part of a double pivot with Axel Witsel. This will be particularly evident against Brazil where the Belgian double pivot will be outmatched against the three-man Brazilian midfield.
For Brazil, Paulinho, Coutinho and Casemiro all have specific roles within the tactical system that Tite has put in place during his tenure as national team coach. Casemiro is possibly the most perfect example of a modern 6 or controlling midfielder. His role at his club Real Madrid is almost identical to what we have seen this summer. He controls the game from the deeper area and is superb at identifying danger.
Looking at the midfield battle as a 3v2 in Brazils favour we would expect to see Casemiro flourish as the free man at the base of the midfield. Here is where Belgium will have to look disrupt the build-up from the Brazilians at the source.
Eden Hazard an
