World Cup permutations: Who wins Group G tiebreaker if England and Belgium draw?

England and Belgium face the peculiar prospect of finishing dead level in Group G. After two matches, they both have six points, a goal difference of +6 and eight goals to boot.

If goal difference and goals scored are level, FIFA will next look at head-to-head records. Unsurprisingly, this would not produce a winner if Belgium and England draw.

The next tiebreaker is fair play – i.e. the amount of yellow and red cards accumulated by a team throughout the group stage. Currently, England have two yellow cards to Belgium's three, meaning they currently top Group G by the slenderest of margins.

If fair play fails to produce a winner, it all comes down to the old-fashioned method of drawing lots. FIFA officials would put both names in a bag and draw out a winner. Imagine the drama... and cries of fixing.

Small problem: the winners of Group G face the possibility of a quarter-final against Brazil. The South Americans topped Group E and face Mexico – the surprise beneficiaries of Germany's disintegration – in the last 16.

So it appears the easier passage to the semi-finals would come from a second-place finish in Group G. Sure, they would have to face the winners of Group H (Japan, Senegal or Colombia), but a favourable last-eight match against either Switzerland or Sweden would be an attractive prospect.

So if you had two incredibly cynical managers in charge of England and Belgium, both teams could play for a goalless draw and try to get their entire team, plus substitutes if required, booked, in an attempt to swerve the favourites.

Will Gareth Southgate or Roberto Martinez hatch a devilish plan?

Kick-off is at 7pm on Thursday June 28. We'll have live text commentary of the match here.