91Èȱ¬

Roberto Martinez believes Belgium and Wales will compete in a "very level" group when World Cup 2022 qualifying begins next month.

Belgium, who start their bid to reach Qatar against Wales on 24 March, are the world's best team according to Fifa's rankings.

But Martinez says a qualifying group which also features Czech Republic, Belarus and Estonia will be demanding.

"I don't think we are going to find any easy game," said the Belgium boss.

"I feel Wales are and have always been a nation that when they are on the pitch are really competitive.

"The experience they had at Euro 2016 will make it a very difficult double-header for us.

"I have been very impressed with the way Czech Republic can perform, especially at home.

"Belarus and Estonia are teams who progressed a lot in the last year and you never know how to measure their improvement from here to March. It's going to be very level."

Martinez believes venues selected for qualifying games will have a "bigger bearing than in a normal qualification campaign" because of the fixture schedule.

The postponement of Euro 2020 until this coming summer has had an impact on World Cup qualifying, with some nations playing three qualifiers rather than two in one international break.

Wales do not face any qualification triple-headers, but will play friendlies alongside their competitive games.

Belgium will twice face three qualifiers in quick succession during their World Cup 2022 campaign. After hosting Wales, they go to Czech Republic on 27 March and are then at home to Belarus on 30 March.

Martinez's team face another trio of qualifying games in September, when they take on Estonia, Czech Republic and Belarus inside six days.

"We are going a little bit into the unknown," Martinez told 91Èȱ¬ Sport Wales.

"International football now is going to be more intense than it has ever been.

"To have three games in a very short period of time, it means it depends a lot when you are travelling, when you are playing an away fixture, how the players are in those periods.

"You cannot use one player to play the three 90 minutes. You need to rotate, you need to be able to share the demands between the sides."

Former Everton and Wigan boss Martinez, who has been with Belgium since 2016, began his managerial career in Wales with Swansea City.

Two members of Martinez's backroom staff, Inaki Bergara and Richard Evans, have worked with him since he retired as a player to take the Swansea job in 2007.

They will be back in Wales with Belgium for both nations' final Group E game on 16 November.

"It's almost a unique opportunity to go back to Wales and enjoy football," Martinez said.

"A very important staff member in our set-up is Richard Evans who is as Welsh as it gets. It is an important and interesting opportunity to go back to where we all started as a coaching team."

Martinez played a significant part in Swansea's memorable rise from English football's fourth tier to the Premier League during his time in charge of the club.

The Spaniard introduced a possession-based style which has become a trademark for Swansea, who are currently impressing under Steve Cooper.

Relegated from the top flight after a seven-year stay in 2018, the Swans are second in the Championship having lost only one of their last 11 league games.

"It's wonderful to see," said Martinez, a former Swansea captain.

"It's such a dynamic team to watch - full of energy. The manager is doing a fantastic job.

"We all know in south Wales there's a real need to have a winning team but the style is important. To manage both so well in the last two seasons has been very, very impressive."