'It's Down To Us' – Tielemans Braced For Belgium Opener
- Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans has spoken to the media in Qatar this week
- The 25-year-old is one of three Foxes stars in Belgium's FIFA World Cup squad
- He says the Red Devils must be braced for a '50-50' encounter with Canada
- Belgium take on the Maple Leafs in a 7pm kick-off on Wednesday
The Red Devils, ranked second in the world, will face a Canadian side making only a second World Cup appearance – their first since 1986 – at Al Rayyan Stadium on Wednesday (7pm kick-off). Tielemans is joined in Belgium's squad by Leicester City team-mates Timothy Castagne and Wout Faes.
There is expectation on Roberto Martínez's men in Qatar this winter as the country's 'golden generation' look to go further than their appearances in the last-eight and the last-four in past tournaments. Tielemans' focus is on emerging through a group which also includes Morocco and Croatia.
"It’s 50-50," the Foxes midfielder told the media this week. "It’s a World Cup. It’ll be the first game for both teams. It will be down to us to be ready for the challenge and to them to be ready for the challenge. Most of their players have not been in a World Cup and most of our players have been.
"It doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a first game of this World Cup. We’ll be ready to play our game, to put quality on the pitch, and I’m sure they will be as well. With the motivation we have in both teams, it will be hopefully a good game to watch."
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All times GMT.