BELGIUM won’t have all of their household names out on Saturday but Republic of Ireland midfielder Josh Cullen says Red Devils’ supporting cast are all top players.
And Cullen, who plays his club football with Belgian giants Anderlecht, is obviously well placed to know. Manager Roberto Martinez won’t have Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku or Eden Hazard at his disposal at the Aviva but Liverpool’s Divock Origi, Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans, Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke and Brighton playmaker Leandro Trossard will all be keen to impress, so he expects a difficult afternoon in the Republic’s midfield engineroom.
“Some of their more experienced players won’t be there but looking at their squad and the calibre of player they have, we know it’s going to be a tough test and they’re still a top, top side,” said Cullen.
“Whoever plays for them, they’ll be top players.
“We’ve analysed them as a team and we know they’re a possession-based side that likes to dominate the ball and they obviously have good athletes as well so they’re an all-round strong side but I’m confident and hopefully we can put a good performance in and get a good result.”
There are also seven home-based players in the Belgium squad including his Anderlecht team-mate Manchester United target Yari Verschaeren.
“Yari is a very good young player,” said Cullen of the 20-year-old striker.
“He’s got a lot of goals and assists for us this season so, although there’s a few big names missing from their squad, there’s definitely a lot of talent coming through and we’ll have to be at the top of our game to compete with them.”
Cullen says he is often asked about Ireland’s fortunes by “people around the club” and hopes to showcase the forward strides the Boys in Green have made over the last 12 months.
“A lot of people recognise the progression we’ve made over the last year or so and hopefully it’s time to show Belgian people how good a team we can be,” he said.
“We’ve worked over a period of time, it’s taken a lot of hard work from the manager and his staff on the training ground and all the lads are reading off the same page and buying into the ideas. We’re enjoying the style of football we’re playing, for a time we didn’t get the results we deserved but now we’re starting to see some positive results and that’s good for everyone.
