Russia 2018: Belgium expect ‘competitive game’ against Japan ―Martinez

Belgium expect a “competitive game” against Japan in the round of 16 at this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Russia, head coach Roberto Martinez said.

Belgium will face Japan in the knockout stage in Rostov-on-Don on Monday. In November, Martinez’s team beat the Japanese 1-0 in a friendly match.

“We played a very good game, a very entertaining game in Bruges against Japan not long ago, and there has been a change of coach since then, but there hasn’t been a real change in the squad. I think it’s a really really dynamic team, very well-organized, very structured technically. Japanese football is really strong, and we expect a really competitive game,” Martinez told journalists.

The head coach added that Belgium were thinking only about the upcoming match against Japan and could not make any predictions about how that game might unfold.

“Now making predictions at the World Cup could be difficult. Germany is out of the competition, I don’t think many people could think that would be a possibility… So I think this World Cup is very unpredictable, and you need to look at yourselves, how strong you can be as a team,” he said.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the matches being played in 11 cities across Russia.