World Cup ’94 : WORLD CUP USA ’94 / GROUP F PREVIEW : Belgium at a Glance

* COACH: Paul Van Himst.

* KEY PLAYERS: Enzo Scifo, Marc Degryse, Josip Weber.

* STRENGTHS: Solid but unspectacular best describes the Belgians. Forward Degryse is an intelligent and experienced player, but all eyes will be on Croatian-born striker Weber, the top scorer in the Belgian League each of the past two seasons but a newcomer to the national team. Scifo is the midfield general and the team’s finest playmaker.

* WEAKNESSES: Difficult to pinpoint, but lack of flair and imagination best sums it up. Goalkeeper Michel Preud’homme is experienced, although perhaps past his prime.

* WORLD CUP HISTORY: Eight previous appearances. Record of 7-14-4. Best finish was fourth place in Mexico in 1986.

* LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: Van Himst, the coach, was Belgium’s player of the year four times, the first time when he was only 16.

* OUTLOOK: No problems in the first round. The only question is, will Belgium or the Netherlands want to finish first in the group. The winner is likely to meet Brazil in the quarterfinals, while the runner-up might have an easier task. Gamesmanship could come into play. Unlikely to go beyond the final eight at best.

* PREDICTED FIRST-ROUND FINISH: Second.

ROSTER

No. Name Position 1 Michel Preud’homme Goalkeeper 12 Filip De Wilde Goalkeeper 20 Danny Verlinden Goalkeeper 2 Dirk Medved Defender 3 Vital Borkelmans Defender 4 Philippe Albert Defender 5 Rudy Smidts Defender 13 Georges Grun Defender 14 Michel De Wolf Defender 15 Marc Emmers Defender 22 Pascal Renier Defender 6 Lorenzo Staelens Midfielder 7 Franky Van der Elst Midfielder 10 Enzo Scifo Midfielder 16 Danny Boffin Midfielder 19 Eric Van Meir Midfielder 8 Luc Nilis Forward 9 Marc Degryse Forward 11 Alex Czerniatynski Forward 17 Josip Weber Forward 18 Marc Wilmots Forward 21 Stephan Van der Heyden Forward