Belgium and Croatia will battle in the ever important World Cup qualifiers on Friday.
This match will determine the eventual winner of the Group A; the winner of the group will move on to the World Cup finals next summer while the second place team will likely have to settle for a playoff against another runner-up to finish among the top 32 finalists.
Belgium currently holds the upper-hand with 22 points in the standings and holds a five point lead over Croatia. A draw for Belgium would essentially clinch them the top spot; a win would obviously create the same effect. A Croatian victory does not necessarily harm Belgium tremendously as the team would still maintain a two-point lead atop Group A. However, two straight Belgium losses coupled with a Croatian win would put Croatia in first place. Croatia visits Scotland in its final qualifier while Belgium will play host to Wales.
The two sides met on Sept. 11 and settled for a 1-1 draw in Croatia.
The big story for the Belgium side is the current injury to Vincent Kompany. The Manchester City defender will be unavailable for the match, a major loss for the team as he is undoubtedly Belgium's top defender.
Another major development for the team is the rejection of young Adnan Januzaj. The 18-year-old star made his Premier League debut this past weekend for Manchester United and scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Sunderland. He was invited to represent Belgium this week, but rejected the offer because he is not ready to think about his international career.
Prediction: Belgium wins 2-1.
Start Time: 12 p.m. EST
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