World Cup

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Attendance: 33,973

World Cup | Group Stage

Jun 28, 2018 at 7pm UK

England
0-1
Belgium

FT(HT: 0-0)

Januzaj (51')

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 'Thibaut Courtois tough to beat'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 27 June 2018

England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek says that his team have a serious job on their hands when it comes to finding a route past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has said that his team have a serious job on their hands when it comes to finding a route past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on Thursday night.

Both England and Belgium have already booked their spots in the last-16 stage of the 2018 World Cup, but they will lock horns to decide which team finishes first in Group G.

Three Lions captain Harry Kane has five goals in his two World Cup matches this summer, but Loftus-Cheek has said that his Chelsea teammate Courtois will prove extremely problematic to beat in the group decider.

"Thibaut is a top keeper - and he is so long! He is very good at reading you. He can spot your body language and where you're trying to shoot," the London Evening Standard quotes Loftus-Cheek as saying.

"You try and open your body up to curl it around him, but he seems to know what you're going to do and has the sizeable frame to get in the way. It is very hard to score against him. He will be very tough to beat.

"The problem with Belgium is that before you reach him, you have to get past their backline. We can do all the hard work to outwit them and then you still have Thibaut standing in front of you."

England boss Gareth Southgate has been urged to make "three or four changes" for the Belgium match by the team's former assistant manager Gary Neville.