Co-hosts the USA will look to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup as they take on Belgium at Seattle Stadium in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The USA have been impressive so far this tournament, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side topping Group D after winning both of their opening two matches against Paraguay and Australia.
They lost a dead rubber against Turkiye in their final group match, but bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Round of 32 despite playing the final half an hour with 10 men.
Red-hot Monaco forward Florian Balogun had given the Stars and Stripes the lead on the stroke of half-time before being sent off, but ex-Rangers loanee Malik Tillman sealed the victory for the co-hosts with a free-kick.
Belgium are arguably the luckiest team still in the tournament, as despite drawing their opening two matches in Group G against Egypt and Iran, Rudi Garcia’s men still managed to finish top on goal difference thanks to a 5-1 thrashing of Egypt.
It looked as if the Red Devils were heading home as they trailed Senegal by two goals to nil after 85 minutes.
However, two goals in the space of three minutes by record-goalscorer Romelu Lukaku and then Youri Tielemans took the game to extra time, before the Aston Villa midfielder clinched the tie from the penalty spot.
How the bookies view it: Tough one to call
The bookies are finding it hard to separate these two sides, with bet365 pricing both at 10/11 To Qualify.
Belgium are marginal favourites to get the job done inside 90 minutes, with bet365 pricing them at 8/5, whilst the co-hosts are 7/4 to win inside regulation time.
More match odds are available on our best mobile apps for World Cup betting.
Head to head: Belgian dominance
This is a fixture that Belgium have tended to dominate, with the Red Devils winning each of their last six meetings with the USA, including knocking them out at this stage in the 2014 World Cup, winning 2-1 AET.
The USA won the first-ever meeting between these two nations way back in the inaugural World Cup, winning 3-0 in the group stages.
Players to watch: Roll the dice with Rom?
Romelu Lukaku has had his fitness concerns all season long, hence why the Napoli frontman has started just one of Belgium’s form matches in North America this summer.
However, Belgium’s record-goalscorer has come off the bench to score in both of the Red Devils’ last two matches and could be worth a punt to get on the scoresheet here, even if he does start the game on the bench.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Predicted line-ups:
Despite his red card against Bosnia & Herzegovina last time out, USA striker Florian Balogun has been cleared to play in Seattle in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Rudi Garcia appears to have no fresh injury or suspension concerns, but may rotate after going to extra time against Senegal in the previous round.
USA: Freese, Freeman, Richards, Ream, Robinson, Adams, McKennie, Dest, Tillman, Pulisic, Balogun
Belgium: Courtois, Castagne, Mechele, Theate, De Cuyper, Tielemans, Raskin, Trossard, De Bruyne, Doku, Lukaku
Anything else catch the eye?
Having Florian Balogun available is a massive boost for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, and they will relish the challenge of trying to get past a far from convincing Belgian backline.
The Belgians can find themselves extremely fortunate to still be in the tournament, and with the home crowd behind them, I fancy the USA To Qualify at 10/11 at bet365.
Goals should be on the cards at Seattle here, given both sides are far stronger offensively than defensively, with Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 Goals priced at Evens at bet365.
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