As both England and Belgium are neck and neck at the top of Group G and as both teams are going to be playing each other later today, then you would probably have thought that both teams will be very eager t win that match, and be crowned the champions of that group and then seamlessly progress through to the next stage of the World Cup tournament.
However, both teams are guaranteed of getting through to the next stage, and due to the fact that the winner of that group is going to be playing, what appears to be at least on paper, some much tougher teams in the next stage, it has been suggested by pundits that the match will be one in which both teams will be eager to lose.
As by doing so they will then face a much less fearsome set of opponents when they progress through to the next round!
As such if you are planning on watching the England vs Belgium match later today then you need to be aware that it may be a very boring match to watch, and one that both teams may just be hoping to lose, so do not expect there to be many goals scored in it if they is the case!
Probability of Each Team Winning
I do like the fact that it is now possible to work out the exact probability of any World Cup soccer match ending in either a draw or a win for either team, and as such I have done the necessary maths and have worked out that if both teams play normally without trying to lose then the probability of the match ending in a draw is 33%.
https://youtu.be/QWjAtetGE5E
However, the probability of the match going to way of an England win is 37% and the probability of the match ending in a win for Belgium is 30%.
Panama vs Tunisia
The other two teams in Group G those being Panama and Tunisia are also playing each other today, however as there is no chance that either team can progress through tto the next stage, there is nothing either of them can do except play for fun I suppose.
However, it does look like the likely winner of that match is going to be Tunisia as the probability of them winning hat match is high at 57% if you are interested in knowing the probably of a Panama win it is 20% and there is a 27% probability of the match ending in a draw.
If you do want to watch a match tonight that is likely to keep you entertained, then it is probably the match between Panama and Tunisia that will be giving you the most entertainment, if England and Belgium play the way that many pundits are expecting and play to lose that match!