Garcia says Belgium are fitter ahead of Senegal tie

Rudi Garcia says Belgium go into their last-16 meeting with Senegal in better shape than they were during the group stage, with all of his players available for the first time in the tournament.

Belgium face Senegal in Seattle on Wednesday night knowing victory would take them into the World Cup quarter-finals. They opened with draws against Egypt and Iran, before beating New Zealand 5-1 to finish top of Group G.

Garcia said the squad had not been fully fit or available in the first three matches, but added: "That period is over now." He also said Jeremy Doku and Romelu Lukaku were improving, while Charles De Ketelaere’s knee problem had eased.

Belgium will now have to cope with the tighter margins of the knockout rounds. De Ketelaere said Paraguay’s surprise win over Germany on Monday was a reminder that nothing can be taken for granted at this stage.