Youthful England face experienced Belgium test

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England and Belgium battle it out for the top spot in their group on Thursday as remaining teams at the World Cup digest Germany's astonishing exit from the tournament in Russia.

Both sides -- packed with Premier League talent -- have sailed through Group G, winning their two games and are now in the curious situation of weighing up whether they even want to top the section.

There have even been some talks that England might have an easier route at the World Cup if they lose in today’s battle of Kaliningrad. But coach Gareth Southgate said his team is focused on winning, not on plotting a particular route through the knockout stages.

“We need to keep winning football matches and we want to breed a mentality that everybody in our squad wants to constantly win,” said the manager, who has created a relaxed atmosphere for his young charges.

"We've not won a knockout game since 2006. Why we would be starting to plot which would be a better venue for our semi-final is beyond me really."

England impressed in their opening two World Cup games, beating Tunisia 2-1 in Volgograd and thumping Panama 6-1 in Nizhny Novgorod. But in Belgium, they face the world's third-ranked side, and a squad loaded with world-class talent such as Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne.

Belgian players during a training session prior to the England game /VCG Photo

For the Three Lions, Captain Harry Kane is the top goalscorer at the World Cup with five goals so far and the Tottenham talisman is likely to start against Belgium.

But Southgate did concede he would probably make some changes for a clash that neither side needs to win.

Opposite number Roberto Martinez is expected to make wholesale changes to his team, with Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku almost certain to miss out after picking up an ankle knock in Belgium's 5-2 win over Tunisia.

Unlike Southgate, the former Everton and Wigan manager said he was approaching Thursday's game with one eye firmly on the knockout rounds.

“We want to perform well, but I think the priority is not to win,” he said. “That's the reality. We wanted to qualify, we've done that. There are players who have been in very demanding games so it's very important for us to protect and give every player the best opportunity to be in the best condition in the knockout games.”

(With input from agencies)