FIFA World Cup qualifiers: Belgium call up two new players as injured Lukaku loses

Belgium are set to face no injured striker Romelu Lukaku for the final two World Cup qualifiers this month, with coach Roberto Martinez set to name two of his national team players for matches against Estonia and Wales on Friday.

Belgium will secure Qatar’s qualification if they beat Estonia in Brussels on 13 November. They will end their Group E campaign against Cardiff in Wales on 16 November.

Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time leading scorer with 68 goals in 101 games, suffered an ankle injury last month while playing against Malmo in the Champions League against Chelsea.

Michy Batshuayi is also injured in his second, but Christian Benteke and Divock Origi have returned to the squad, and there is a first call-up for Dante Vanzeir, the unprecedented leader of the Belgian League Union Saint Gilloise.

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French defender Wout Faes has taken advantage of injuries to Sebastiaan Bornauw and Zinho Vanheusden to win his first call-up.

“We’re in a great position. We are at home against Estonia, but we know they went to Wales and got a good result, ”Martinez said of a goalless draw in Cardiff in September.

“You don’t expect to get involved in any international football matches and that is expected,” he said at a press conference on Friday, answering questions about using both matches to experiment with player selection before Qatar 2022.

“The only aspect we’re dealing with is trying to qualify,” Martinez added.

Belgium remains at the top of the FIFA rankings despite qualifying for the quarter-finals at Euro 2020 and finishing fourth in the League of Nations last month.

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Part of:

Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), Matz Sels (Racing Strasbourg)

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Al Duhail), Dedryck Boyata (Hertha Berlin), Timothy Castagne (Leicester City), Jason Denayer (Olympique Lyonnais), Wout Faes (Stade Reims), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund), Arthur Theate (Atalanta), Jan Vertonghen (Benfica)

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Charles De Ketelaere (Club Brugge), Leander Dendocker (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Dennis Praet (Torino), Alexis Saelemaekers (AC Milan), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund)

Forward: Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Divock Origi (Liverpool), Albert Sambi Lokoga (Arsenal), Leandro Trossard (Brighton & Hove Albion), Dante Vanzeir (Union Saint Gilloise).