Belgium's clutch 3-2 win against Japan in the Round of 16 is certainly in contention of the most entertaining match of this World Cup.
Yet their celebrations will be short-lived as they now face mighty Brazil, who easily dispatched Mexico in the previous round and will be looking to win their 6th World Cup crown.
Belgium are themselves dark horses to win the tournament with their ' golden generation' in their peak years.
Here are the 3 reasons why I think Belgium will lose against Brazil.
1. Yannick Carrasco's position
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez is often criticised for his team management, such as his decision to not to play Radja Nainggolan and not including him in his squads. Another such example is Yannick Carrasco.
The former Atletico Madrid man prefers to play as a winger but has been used as a wing-back by Roberto Martinez when playing for Belgium.
Due to his new position and the lack of experience in that role, he is Belgium's weakest link at this World Cup.
2. Belgium's below-par midfielder
Even though Belgium have had an amazing run in the World Cup, winning all 4 games, they have been relatively untested. Their games against Panama and Tunisia were more like practice matches and even though they let in 2 goals against Tunisia, they still looked extremely dominant.
They however clearly lack a dynamic box-to-box midfielder, and Radja Nainggolan would have been perfect for this role but due to some disputes, Roberto Martinez refused to include him in the squad.
But their game against Japan was different. It was in this game that we found out how weak Belgium's midfield actually is.
3. Belgium counter-attacks will not work against Brazil
Belgium has a squad that contains fast and pacy players such as Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Eden Hazard. This makes them especially lethal on the counter-attack.
An example of this is Belgium's winning goal against Japan when Belgium counter-attacked following a Japanese free-kick in the dying minutes of the match.
But it will be much more different and much more difficult against Brazil. Brazil's first choice left-back, Marcelo, was injured during their last group match against Serbia and thus Filipe Luis replaced Marcelo in their Round of 16 match against Mexico.
Luis is a much more defensive-minded left back than Marcelo and thus will prioritize defense more than attack. If Luis starts against Belgium, then he will be ready for any counter-attacks.
#hivisasaworldcup