England and Belgium have already booked their places in the KO stages of the World Cup and will now collide tonight to determine who will top the group.
The two teams have scored and conceded the same number of goals in the competition, therefore, a draw will mean that fair play points will determine the top spot.
If we look at the teams that have qualified for the Round of 16 and England’s history of losing against top sides over the years, it is better for the Three Lions to lose vs Belgium and finish second in the group.
If England finish top:
In that case, the 1966 World Cup winners will face Japan or Senegal or Colombia in the Round of 16 depending on what happens in Group H today.
If England go past the first KO round then they will either face Brazil or Mexico. The Samba stars should be considered favorites to beat the north Americans and it must be remembered that they knocked England out of the WC in 2002.
If the Three lions do qualify for the semis then they will face Uruguay or Portugal or Argentina or France.
If England finish second:
In that case, for now, the scenario for the Round of 16 remains the same i.e. they will face one of Japan/Senegal/Colombia.
However, if England do qualify for the quarters then they will either face Switzerland or Sweden. Moreover, if they reach the semis then they will face Spain or Russia or Croatia or Denmark.
Therefore, it seems better to finish second but at the end of the day, you have to beat the best to be the best and England would have to do the same to win the World Cup.
