BELGIUM'S LUKAKU IS SET TO MISS ITS FIRST TWO GAMES AT THE WORLD CUP!

By Rashmi Goel

There is a good chance that Belgium won't be able to play Romelu Lukaku for at least the first two matches of their World Cup campaign due to the forward carrying a knock. Due to his recovery from a hamstring injury, the forward was not able to take part in the Red Devils' first proper training session since they arrived in Qatar on Friday. Therefore, he is unable to play for the Red Devils against Canada and Morocco.

Since returning to Inter on loan from Chelsea in the summer, the 29-year-old has struggled with his fitness and has made just five appearances so far this campaign. For the Red Devils' crucial games against Canada and Morocco in Group F, Roberto Martinez has decided to rely on the likes of Dries Mertens or Michy Batshuayi up front instead of Lukaku.

In 102 appearances, Lukaku is Belgium's all-time top scorer with 68 goals after being called up to the squad for the World Cup in spite of the fact that coach Roberto Martinez admitted that he was not fully fit for the tournament. It is worth noting, however, that he has only played twice for Inter since August when he first sustained the injury in a 3-1 loss to Lazio back in August. He made a successful return to action for Inter last month, scoring twice in a 4-0 win over Viktoria Plzen to ensure Inter's passage to the last 16 of the Champions League, but he injured his hamstring again a few days later.

Alternatively, it is possible to play Charles De Ketelaere up front, although the 21-year-old is lacking experience and plays a deeper role at the club level for AC Milan than he does for Belgium. With Lukaku's injury, Belgium has yet another set of problems to deal with, as their squad appears to be largely past their best, and a number of their players are still with them from their 2018 and 2014 campaigns. Among the remaining players in the squad are Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Axel Witsel, and Eden Hazard, all of whom are stalwarts of the national side, all of whom might be too old to make a true challenge for glory in Qatar this winter. As part of its preparations for the World Cup, Belgium is set to play Canada on Wednesday, before facing Morocco on Sunday and Croatia on December 1.