Jérémy Doku is back in the United States after leaving to attend the birth of his son Praise, and Belgium expects him to start against New Zealand. Romelu Lukaku sits in the background of a match Belgium needs to win after two draws, because the final group game is the one that decides whether this run ends early.
Praised by return
Doku, 24, started Belgium's tournament opener against Egypt in Seattle and then missed Sunday's 0-0 stalemate with Iran in LA. In the match he did start, he attempted nine dribbles, made 23 carries and logged four progressive carries, numbers that explain why Belgium view him as a direct threat when he is on the pitch.
He had gone back to England for the birth, then returned to the United States in time for Friday's do or die clash in British Columbia. Belgium drew both of its first two group games, so the margin for error has already gone.
Rudi Garcia's selection
The Royal Belgian Football Association said Doku's absence against Iran was due to illness, which did not match the later explanation that he had been away for the birth of his first child. That sequence leaves one clean read on the squad: Belgium got its winger back before the match that matters most.
Rudi Garcia is expected to start Doku on Friday, with Leandro Trossard likely on the right wing and Alexis Saelemaekers set for the bench. Kevin De Bruyne, Lukaku and others are described as past their prime, so Belgium's edge has shifted toward the 24-year-old's pace and carrying power rather than older names.
Belgium and New Zealand
Belgium need a result against New Zealand in British Columbia to be guaranteed avoiding a second successive World Cup group stage exit. Doku's return gives Garcia one more attacker who can turn a tight game with dribbles and carries, and that is the selection decision worth watching as Friday in British Columbia arrives.
