4:19 pm – Eden Hazard, Lukaku, Kompany, Witsel and Meunier absent from collective training

After a day of recovery Saturday, the day after their historic qualification in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup at the expense of Brazil, the Red Devils have returned to training Sunday afternoon in their Dedovsk preparation center in the Moscow region. They started their preparations for the semi-final against France Tuesday night in St. Petersburg (20:00 Belgian). Eden Hazard, Lukaku, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Kompany, Witsel and Meunier did not train with the group. The first two, not equipped with football boots, followed their partners from the bench. Alderweireld and Vertonghen focused separately on sprint races. As usual only the first quarter of an hour was open to the media. It allowed to observe the thirteen other field players, in addition to the three goalkeepers (Courtois, Mignolet and Casteels), in training. Three held against Brazil: Fellaini, De Bruyne and Chadli. The others were Batshuayi, Thorgan Hazard, Mertens, Boyata, Tielemans, Dembele, Carrasco, Dendoncker, Vermaelen and Januzaj. The rest of the meeting is held in camera. It will be impossible to know what tactic the Spanish coach reserves to the Blues. Coach Roberto Martinez managed to preserve the secret of his new tactics set in the quarter-final against Brazil. He had traded his traditional 3-4-3 against a 4-3-3, with a move from Lukaku to the right of the attack and De Bruyne placed in a more advanced position and Chadli left in the midfield. She had the gift of totally surprising the Brazilian team which had found themselves led to score 0-2 after half an hour of play. Martinez will have to compose Tuesday without Thomas Meunier, suspended. He will have to find a new right back. Chadli seems favored to fill the post, opening a slot in the middle. The Red Devils will train again Monday morning (10:45) in Dedovsk before flying to St. Petersburg Monday late afternoon. The other final will pit Croatia against England on Wednesday at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow. (Belga)

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