Belgium have one of the most exciting lineups in world football at the moment. And a draw against Croatia in Zagreb on Friday night, will give all those gifted footballers to showcase their ability in the greatest possible platform - the FIFA World Cup.
Group A is under Belgium's control, with Croatia's shock 1-0 defeat to Scotland in June denting their hopes of finishing first in the group. Croatia will finish at least second in Group A, nevertheless, and currently lie five points behind leaders Belgium.
A win for the hosts on Friday will make the group interesting again, with the Belgians then needing to win their final game to ensure they do not have to book their tickets to Brazil via the playoffs.
However, getting all three points against Belgium is easier said than done, with Marc Wilmots' men so far enjoying a near-perfect qualifying campaign with seven wins and a draw in eight matches.
"Why wait if we can qualify immediately? This is our philosophy and we are not counting on a second chance against Wales because we are going to Croatia to win," Wilmots said.
Belgium and Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen is also thinking along the same lines as his coach.
"We have reached the point where the national team has certain expectations," he said. "There are certain things we expect and demand of ourselves.
"We know Croatia will be one of the hardest games in the group, but nobody thinks it will go wrong. We are very confident, and we are strong enough to win in Zagreb."
Croatia's Vedran Corluka admitted he would have much preferred to be where Belgium currently stand, but is still confident his side can pick up all three points against the group favourites.
"The atmosphere in the dressing room is still good but it's a poor one around it because Belgium are firmly in the driving seat and that's where we wanted to be at this stage," Corluka was quoted as saying by Croatian media.
"There is no point in looking back at what might have been but I think that although the Belgians are a class act, they are not better than us. We showed that in Brussels and we will show that in Zagreb too."
Team News: Christian Benteke and Vincent Kompany miss out through injury, while Arsenal skipper Thomas Vermaelen is a slight doubt for Belgium. Moussa Dembele could also be ruled out after suffering an injury in training, while Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini is set to feature in spite of a wrist injury.
Croatia will be without defender Josip Simunic who is suspended.
Where to watch
The match is scheduled for a 9.30 p.m. (IST) start with no live telecast.
Expected lineups: Croatia: Pletikosa; Srna, Lovren, Corluka, Strinic; Rakitic, Modric, Kovacic; Eduardo, Mandzukic, Olic.
Belgium: Courtois; Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Lombaerts; Witsel, Fellaini, Defour; De Bruyne, Lukaku, Hazard.
Prediction: 2-1 to Belgium
