England vs Belgium LIVE World Cup 2018: Eden Hazard goal kills off English hopes as Three Lions finish fourth
Follow all the latest action from the third-place play-off
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England are back in the game that no one wants to be involved in as they take on Belgium for the accolade of finishing third at the World Cup, which should they win would be their best finish at the tournament since winning it in 1966.
It will be the second time the two teams have played after meeting in the final round of group stage fixtures, where Belgium ran out 1-0 winners to secure top spot in Group G.
Adnan Januzaj scored the only goal of the game there – that may actually have cost Belgium a World Cup final spot given their tougher route – but he doesn't get a second chance to shine as Belgium named their strongest team possible in St Petersburg, with England in contract making numerous changes..
Follow all the live action below...
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What time is it?
The game kicks off at 15:00 BST in St Petersburg.
Where can I watch it?
The third-place play-off will be shown on ITV and the ITV Hub online, with coverage starting at 14:30pm BST.
Prediction
Who cares? Really, who actually remembers who was in the last third-place play-off, let alone who won it? No one wants to play in it and even fewer want to watch it. But, 2-0 Belgium.
Odds
Belgium: 6/5
England: 12/5
Draw: 14/5
Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's World Cup third-place play-off between England and Belgium, brought to you from the St Krestovsky Stadium in St Petersburg.
The third-place play-off. A game that divides opinion along the lines of: is there really any point, or can't the lads just get a plane home?
Well for Belgium it offers them a piece of history with their best ever World Cup finish up for grabs, and for England it offers them something to really 'bring home'. It may not have been either sides goal when boarding a plane for Russia just over a month ago, but out there on the pitch both sides will want to leave on a high.
Most people's problem with the third-place play-off is, do we really remember it?
Well the third place play-off in Brazil in the last World Cup was between the hosts and Holland, with Robin van Persie, Daley Blind and Georginio Wijnaldum on the scoresheet to secure a third place finish for the Netherlands.
How did you know that I hear you ask? After the 7-1 thrashing from Germany, the third-place play-off was way down the priority list for Brazil, and hardly a classic that will be remembered for years down the line. In fact, these kind of games make some half-decent quiz questions.
But, for two nations that have hardly set the globe alight with recent tournament performances, the bronze medal here could be a career highlight.
This. Is. Brilliant. Panini have made a video of England's World Cup campaign from their collectable stickers, but could England's stars end up with a medal around their necks this afternoon?
ICYMI (although I'm really not sure anyone could have), England got very, very close to a World Cup final. The route to that incredible feat, opened up to them in a way no one could have predicted. That in itself will be remembered for a long time, but by no one more so than the waistcoat-wearing, new national icon Gareth Southgate, who will be haunted by the fact England were just 22 minutes from a game at the very peak of World football. By Jack Pitt-Brooke:
Regardless of today's result, could this be the beginning of a new era in English football, without the weight of disappointment and near-misses of years gone by?
As with their group stage clash, neither side is expected to name their strongest line-up here. For England fans it's likely you will see more of young stars Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ruben Loftus-Cheek with an interesting choice for Gareth Southgate over who he chooses in goal.
Nick Pope and Jack Butland are the only members of the squad to have not played a part on the pitch so far, with Jordan Pickford playing all six games. Butland will be hoping for a start, but Pickford also has eyes on the goalkeeper of the tournament accolade.
For Belgium, Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi is likely to lead the line, after playing a majority of cameo roles this tournament in the shadow of Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku. Anyone remember the brilliant video of Batshuayi smashing a ball into an empty net and somehow managing to hit the post and then himself? One of the funniest moments of this World Cup.
Golden Boot Race
Leading the race for the Golden Boot is Harry Kane on six goals, with his nearest rival Romelu Lukaku on four. Depending on the thoughts of Roberto Martinez Lukaku may be given the chance to start this one, with the hope of overhauling Kane's tally.
Kane may be in the driving seat, but two players in tomorrow's final - Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe have an outside chance of the accolade on three goals apiece.
But who has the highest shots on target percentage I hear you ask? That would be Yerry Mina, the young Colombian defender with three shots on target and three goals, 100% efficient. Clinical.
We are ready. It feels like an age without football since Wednesday's heartbreak. How on earth are we going to survive after tomorrow's World Cup final, with only the minimal sustenance of pre-season friendlies to keep us going until the new football season?
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