Belgium released its 24-man squad for World Cup 2014 today. The squad will be reduced to 23 before June 2. Depending on the fitness of goalkeeper Koen Casteels, one player will drop out of the final squad to meet FIFA’s 23-man squad requirement.
There weren’t many major surprises in the side other than the snub to Thorgan Hazard, who many experts rate as a better footballer than Manchester United youngster Adnan Januzaj, who was included in the squad. Januzaj caught the eye early this Premier League season but faded as time went on.
The injury to Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke has limited manager Marc Wilmot’s attacking options, so Belgium is almost certain to continue lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and will be depending on the talented midfield to generate goal scoring opportunities.
On paper, this is one of the best squads in the tournament but Belgium has not qualified for a major tournament in over a decade and the lack of international experience could hamper this side potentially.
Full squad below:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet, Koen Casteels, Silvio Proto
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Anthony Vanden Borre, Laurent Ciman, Vincent Kompany, Daniel van Buyten, Thomas Vermaelen, Nicolas Lombaerts, Jan Vertonghen
Midfielders: Axel Witsel, Steven Defour, Marouane Fellaini, Moussa Dembélé, Nacer Chadli, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, Kevin Mirallas, Adnan Januzaj
Attackers: Romelu Lukaku, Divock Origi.
Standby list: Michy Batshuayi, Guillaume Gillet, Thorgan Hazard, Radja Nainggolan, Sébastien Pocognoli and Jelle van Damme.
