Sixty-two games down and two games to go in Russia. Before we get to Sunday's World Cup final in Moscow between Croatia and France, we have the third-place match between the semifinal losers England and Belgium in Saint Petersburg.
Belgium is coming off a contested 1-0 loss to France in the semifinal, but there's still something at stake here for the golden generation of soccer for the Red Devils. Their best finish came in 1986 when they finished fourth out of 24 teams in Mexico, losing the third-place match to France. A win over England on Saturday will mark its best-ever finish in the World Cup.
England is coming off a disappointing extra-time defeat to Croatia in a match where it fell apart after jumping out to a 1-0 lead early on. Outside of winning the World Cup in home soil in 1966, England's best finish came in 1990 where it lost the third-place match to hosts Italy.
The latest odds and betting lines have Belgium as a favorite to come away with third-place medals.
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This tournament has been filled with surprises, and we could be in store for another one on Saturday. With that said, our CBS Sports prognosticators have locked in their predictions for the final below. Enjoy!
2018 FIFA World Cup third-place match picks: England vs. Croatia
Saturday, July 14, 10 a.m. ET, stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
Thomas Rongen's take: Set piece festival in favor of golden generation. Prediction: Belgium 2, England 1.
Roger Gonzalez's take: It's going to be hard for either team to get up for this one, but finishing third at a World Cup is no small feat. I still believe in Belgium's talent more than I do England's, and I think in the end Roberto Martinez's team does enough by controlling possession and looking close to dominant on the counter. Prediction: Belgium 3, England 1.
Igor Mello's take: The third-place medals are coming home! Prediction: England 1, Belgium 0 (after extra time).
Tom Fornelli's take: This is probably a question of which team is going to actually care? The third-place game feels like such a cruel thing to do to these teams. I guess I'm going with Belgium because I think the heartbreak might be a bit too much for England at this point? I just hope they don't have to go to extra time. Prediction: Belgium 2, England 1.
Sean Wagner-McGough's take: Belgium's the better side, and England's going to have a difficult time recovering from an emotionally and physically draining 120-minute loss on Wednesday. Maybe England finds a way to score on yet another set piece, but Belgium's midfield and attack is going carve up England's midfield and defense. Prediction: Belgium 2, England 0.
