Jérémy Doku is expected to return to Belgium's starting lineup against New Zealand on Friday, giving the team a needed attacking option for a match it must win to be sure of avoiding an early exit from the World Cup group stage. The 24 year old missed the draw with Iran, but he has now returned to the United States and is back in contention.
That is why his name is being searched now. Belgium have already drawn both of their group games, and the final one in British Columbia has become the one that decides whether the team keeps its World Cup campaign alive or leaves with another disappointment. Doku started the opener against Egypt and, in the match he played, attempted nine dribbles, made 23 carries and completed four progressive carries, the kind of direct running Belgium badly need when opponents sit deep.
Belgium's football association had said Doku would miss the Iran game because of illness, but he had actually gone back to England for the birth of his first child, a son named Praise. He did not play on Sunday afternoon when Belgium were held goalless in LA, and his absence left the side without one of its sharpest wide threats. The contrast matters because Belgium's older core, including Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, is being asked to supply decisive moments in a team that is trying to force openings rather than wait for them.
Leandro Trossard is expected to play on the right wing against New Zealand, with Alexis Saelemaekers likely to drop to the bench, but Doku's return changes the shape of the attack far more than any other personnel move. Belgium still have to beat New Zealand at BC Place, and the simplest reading of the situation is that Doku is back at the right time, with a place in the starting side expected and a result now required.
