Belgium and England will face off for a second time at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Saturday's third-place play-off at the St. Petersburg Stadium, as the losing semi-finalists duel for their place on the podium in Russia.
The Red Devils will record their best finish at a World Cup if they beat Gareth Southgate's England to third, having already triumphed 1-0 over Saturday's opponents during the group stage.
An Adnan Januzaj curler gave Belgium their victory on that occasion, when both managers made significant changes to their teams.
The consolation match will serve as a warm-up for Sunday's final between France and Croatia, who beat respective semi-finalists Belgium and England to book their places at the Luzhniki Stadium finale.
We preview Saturday's third-place showdown in St. Petersburg, complete with all the necessary live-stream information and team news.
Date: Saturday, July 14
Time: 5 p.m. local time/3 p.m. BST/ 10 a.m. ET
Venue: St. Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg, Russia
Live Stream: ITV Hub (UK), Fox Soccer Match Pass, fuboTV (U.S.)
TV Info: ITV (UK), Fox (U.S.)
Team News
Belgium welcome the return of right-back Thomas Meunier after he served his one-match suspension in Tuesday's defeat to France, and he could be the only change in a team that hasn't had to go beyond the 90 minutes in Russia.
Meunier has been one of the star right-backs at this World Cup, and journalist Mark Rodden underlined the value he brings to Roberto Martinez's outfit, with replacement Nacer Chadli not as effective against Les Bleus:
England will be motivated to register their second-best finish at a World Cup despite the disappointment of Wednesday's extra-time loss to Croatia, but Southgate is sure to have tired bodies among his ranks.
England have gone to 120 minutes twice this tournament, and the likes of Eric Dier, Fabian Delph or Marcus Rashford could be drafted in to afford others a rest.
Preview
Winning the World Cup would not have been a brand-new experience for England had they managed to contest the final in Russia, but third place ahead of a side like Belgium would nevertheless be a huge feat.
Southgate's redemption tale and unexpected trip to the last four has earned him the affection of his country all the same, and fans showed what it meant to make it this far after Wednesday's exit, via broadcaster Jacqui Oatley:
It's an unfortunate truth that to do so England will need to improve on their most recent display if they're to beat a Belgian side that are superior to the team they just lost to.
Sportswriter Raphael Honigstein gave his account of where things fell down for the Three Lions in the loss to Croatia, who were inspired to victory by Ivan Perisic's equaliser and Mario Mandzukic's winner after Kieran Trippier's free-kick put England in an early ascendancy:
That press ultimately forced England out of the model that had taken them this far in Russia, and the absence of a back-up plan meant Kane's effect was limited, particularly after Raheem Sterling's substitution.
Neither Belgium nor England were permitted to unlock their potential in their semi-final outings in Russia. Top scorer Harry Kane was muted by Croatia's defence, while Romelu Lukaku struggled to get out of second gear in his meeting with France.
An injury meant Lukaku missed the Group G clash between these teams in June, as did many of Belgium's biggest names, including Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.
Despite the return of the brightest talent from both nations, commentator Ian Darke was hardly inspired by the rematch:
Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol took the glass-half-full view:
And that's the underlining point for these two teams on Saturday: Finishing as highly ranked as possible should be the priority in any competition, and the honour of bronze in a World Cup this thrilling won't be soon forgotten.
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