Belgium have been boosted by the return of Zeno Debast to training ahead of tonight’s World Cup round-of-32 clash with Senegal. The Sporting defender will be hoping for his first minutes of the tournament, having been sidelined with a leg injury suffered on club duty in Portugal in early May.
Debast's Recovery and Return
Debast was always expected to miss the group stage having still been included in the 26-man squad, though returned to training on Sunday after reporting “positive” results from a follow-up MRI scan. The 22-year-old seems unlikely to start as Group G winners Belgium meet Senegal - who edged through from Group I as the eighth-best third-place team - in a knockout tie in Seattle on Wednesday, but his comeback will nevertheless be a boost for head coach Rudi Garcia as he looks to mastermind a deep run into the tournament.
Defensive Lineup Adjustments
Brandon Mechele and Nathan Ngoy started the World Cup as the Red Devils’ first-choice centre-back pairing with no Debast, though Arthur Theate was drafted in for the 5-1 thrashing of New Zealand after Ngoy was sent off in the goalless draw with Iran. Garcia seems unlikely to make many changes to the XI that started that rout of the All Whites in Vancouver, with Thibaut Courtois certain to start in goal.
Garcia swapped Thomas Meunier with Fulham’s Timothy Castagne at right-back against New Zealand, with Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper on the left-hand side of defence. Belgium tried a third different partner for captain Youri Tielemans in the midfield pivot, with Rangers star Nicolas Raskin having surprisingly replaced Amadou Onana, only to then make way for Hans Vanaken.
Attacking Options and Predicted XI
They also reverted back to the more familiar and potent front four of Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard and Charles De Ketelaere, having replaced Doku - who was unavailable against Iran - and De Ketelaere with Alexis Saelemaekers and Romelu Lukaku - who both scored late on as substitutes in the New Zealand game. De Ketelaere vs Lukaku to lead a talented and deep attack is a constant debate among Belgium fans at this World Cup, though the latter - far and away his country’s all-time leading goalscorer - looks best utilised off the bench after a club season at Napoli that was wrecked by injuries as he made just four Serie A appearances in total.
Predicted Belgium XI: Courtois; Castagne, Mechele, Theate, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Vanaken; Doku, De Bruyne, Trossard; De Ketelaere. Doubt: Debast. Time and date: 9pm BST on Wednesday July 1, 2026. Venue: Seattle Stadium. How to watch: ITV.
