Midfielder Jonathan Osorio of Canada has said that the squad would approach their first game of the World Cup against Belgium with “confidence, not hope.” Belgium is the side that they will be facing.
The North Americans outperformed everyone’s expectations and came in top place in the last group of CONCACAF qualification, which earned them a seat in the automatic qualifying tournament for Qatar 2022. Osorio is certain that they will maintain their ability to surprise people in the years to come.
In the Group F encounter against Belgium, which will take place at Al Rayyan Stadium, Osorio is prepared to perform above and above what is expected of him. Players like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Thibaut Courtois will be competing against one another in this encounter. After an absence of 36 years, Mexico will take part in the World Cup for the first time.
In an interview with the Vancouver Sun, he made the following statement: “We are no longer hopeful; rather, we believe.” We have an astounding level of confidence in our own abilities. We want to show that we are a nation that is devoted to football and that we are capable of playing with the very best teams in the world. In addition, we want to demonstrate that we are capable of winning.
“We want to surprise people, because I feel that many still consider us as underdogs; Canada and the World Cup, they should simply be grateful to be here,” he said. “We want to be the team that wins.” “I believe people still look at us as the underdog, so we want to surprise them,” said one member of the team.
“On the other hand, this is not how we interpret it. We come in order to compete, and we have our sights set on winning at the highest possible level. We believe that inside our group, with the abilities that we have and the brotherhood that we share, we are capable of going as far as we set our eyes on going. This is because we have a strong bond with one another.
John Herdman, who hails from England but now coaches the Canadian national team, was also in a buoyant frame of mind. Herdman, who noted that the hamstring injury that the great fullback Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich has may cause him to miss the match, added: “I think that, on the inside, Canada is starting to expect things from the United States.
“If you go to nations such as France, Germany, Italy, England, Brazil, or Argentina, people will question you, “who’s Canada?” when you mention that you’re from Canada. On the other hand, I get the impression that deep down, as a country, we have started to think that things are possible, and our mentality is the same as it was before: we are taking things one game at a time.”
The fitness of Belgium’s striker Romelu Lukaku has been one of the key areas of emphasis for the squad as they have been preparing. As a result of a setback in his recuperation from a hamstring injury, it is anticipated that Lukaku will not participate in either of Belgium’s opening two matches in Qatar.
Roberto Martinez’s decision to take a chance on the physical capability of the Inter player is something that Vincent Kompany, a former captain of Belgium who is now the manager of Burnley in the English Championship, can understand. Kompany is currently the manager of Burnley, which competes in the English Championship.
During the World Cup in 2018, Vincent Kompany was sidelined for the whole of the group stage. He did not make his comeback until the knockout phase, which began after the Belgium national team had finished in third place.
He addressed his absence to Het Nieuwsblad, stating that the reason he did not take part in the group stage was due to the fact that he had injured his hamstrings while playing in a friendly match before to the World Cup.
It may not seem like a huge concern to have injured players on your squad while you’re still in the group stage of the competition; nevertheless, as the tournament advances, you’ll need individuals that can help you win matches and make a difference in the outcome of the competition.
Even if Lukaku can just play in one of the games against the more formidable foes, it would still be beneficial for him to take part in those contests. The option that was chosen is acceptable to me. In this sport, it is the winners of individual bouts that are given the most weight.
Be on the Lookout for These Players
Belgium: Kevin De Bruyne The Canadian national team should do everything in its power to avoid having any kind of conversation with the Manchester City midfield maestro.
While he has only made 224 appearances in the Premier League, he has been involved in 155 goals and has contributed to the scoring of 155 of those goals. His diversity of passing is capable of torturing any defense. De Bruyne will miss Lukaku’s physical presence as both a target and a producer of space, but he still has the skills required to have an effect on the game despite this absence.
This is KDB’s first season in the Premier League, and he already has 9 assists to his name; the record for the league is 20. Canada: Iain The David Jonathan David Both David and De Bruyne produce equal statistics, despite the fact that David plays a position more forward than De Bruyne does. The attacker, who is 22 years old and plays for Lille, has participated in all 15 of the team’s matches in Ligue 1 this season. He has contributed nine goals and three assists for the club. David, who will almost certainly sign with one of the most prestigious teams in Europe at the end of the current season, will attempt to use the World Cup as a stepping stone to further his career in the sport of soccer.
Jonathan David, who plays for Ligue 1, receives a pass from the fox in the box.
Prediction
Although it is clear that Canada has a lot of confidence after their successful qualifying campaign, it is difficult to choose them above Belgium as the side that has the best chance of winning the match. The probabilities of Belgium starting their World Cup campaign with a win are predicted to be 62.2% by the forecasting model developed by Opta, but Canada’s odds are just 17.4% according to the program’s output.
If skilled players like De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Dries Mertens from Belgium find their range, then Canada is in for a very long night of soccer.
