Vincent Kompany says he will be fulfilling a boyhood dream when he steps out onto the pitch at Rio de Janeiro’s fabled Maracana Stadium tonight.
The Manchester City defender will captain Belgium against Russia looking for a win that would guarantee their place in the competition’s last 16.
The 28-year-old, who had treatment for a groin strain last week following the 2-1 win over Algeria, says he is feeling “good” and relishing the prospect of the grand stage which awaits.
He said: “I have played in a lot of the big stadiums in Europe and the most mythical stadiums in the world are Wembley and Maracana so this is something very special.
“To face off against Russia there will be really special, it was one of my boyhood dreams coming true just to walk on that sacred pitch and it will be very special – and not just for the Belgian players.”
Belgium’s opening win brought some criticism about a lack of style but Kompany said the players are concentrating only on getting out of the group.
He said: “We are not going to prove ourselves by style, only results. How have Spain, England, Italy, even Brazil got on? Countries have to focus on getting through. I have come here for one reason and one reason alone, and that’s getting great results. We are playing for our country and we are proud to do it.”
Kompany also tried to ease the burden of expectation on Romelu Lukaku, Belgium’s main striker in the absence of the injured Christian Benteke, who struggled to impose himself against Algeria.
“He has a tremendous amount of talent but for us it’s about not putting pressure on a 21-year-old kid to do it for us at a World Cup, a lot of other people will take the responsibility,” he said. “If he performs well for us we will be happy, but the most important thing is he puts his performance for the benefit of the group and he’ll be okay.”
Belgium coach Marc Wilmots is expecting a tactical battle against his Russia counterpart Fabio Capello.
He said: “It could be a very tactical match, Capello has a great track record at some great clubs and we will see what his approach is on the pitch. We saw Russia play Korea in quite a rigid formation but we will wait to see against us. The most important thing for us is we have to shut down space.”
