Belgium will host Italy at the King Baudouin Stadium on Thursday, looking to keep their UEFA Nations League campaign alive.
Belgium have been quite disappointing in their recent outings, and they will be coming into the game against Italy on the back of three winless performances. The Red Devils were beaten by France in their last outing, and it remains to be seen whether Domenico Tedesco’s men can bounce back strongly.
Meanwhile, Italy have won three of their last four matches, and they will be full of confidence heading into this game. They will be the favourites on paper, and it will be interesting to see if they can grind out a positive result here.
Italy are on top of their group, and they will look to stay there with a victory here. Meanwhile, Belgium need a win here in order to close the gap with second place. It remains to be seen whether the players can step up and deliver.
Team News & Tactics
Belgium
Belgium will be without the services of Charles De Ketelaere and Joaquin Seys because of their fitness issues. Kevin de Bruyne and Youri Tielemans will miss out, and they have not been called up to the squad.
The home side are likely to start in a 4-3-3 formation, with Koen Casteels in goal. Timothy Castagne and Maxim De Cuyper will start as the full-backs. They will look to add defensive cover and creativity to the side from the flanks. Belgium have looked vulnerable at the back, and their defensive unit will have to step up against Italy.
Wout Faes will start alongside Arthur Theate in the central defensive pairing. As for the midfield unit, Arne Engels will start alongside Orel Mangala and Amadou Onana. They will look to keep things compact defensively and break down the opposition’s attacking moves. Finally, Romelu Lukaku will lead the line for Belgium, with Dodi Lukebakio and Lois Openda on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Theate, Cuyper; Mangala, Onana, Engels; Lukebakio, Lukaku, Openda
Italy
The visitors will be without Samuele Ricci because of a hamstring injury, and Riccardo Calafiori will miss out as well with a knock. Regardless, they have enough quality to grind out a positive result here.
Italy are likely to shape up in a 3-5-1-1 formation against Belgium, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. In the back three, Giovanni Di Lorenzo will start alongside Alessandro Buongiorno and Alessandro Bastoni.
As for the midfield unit, Nicolo Barella will add creativity and control to the side. Sandro Tonali and Davide Frattesi will add drive and defensive cover alongside him. Andrea Cambiaso and Federico Dimarco will start as the wing-backs, and they will contribute at both ends of the pitch.
Giacomo Raspadori will start as the central attacking midfielder here, and he will look to link up with Mateo Retegui in the final third, with the Atalanta striker leading the line for Italy against Belgium on Thursday.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Buongiorno, Bastoni; Dimarco, Frattesi, Tonali, Barella, Cambiaso; Raspadori; Retegui
Key Stats
- Italy have scored at least two goals in seven of their last eight matches against Belgium in all competitions.
- Italy have won four of their last six meetings against Belgium.
- 20 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Belgium have picked up one win from their last six matches in all competitions.
- Italy are unbeaten in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Nicolo Barella
The Italian international will look to dominate proceedings in the middle of the park and create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates with his passing, execution and vision. Belgium have been quite poor defensively, and Barella will look to open up opportunities for his teammates here. He is our key player to watch out for, and Italy will need him to step up and deliver if they want to grind out all three points.
Prediction
Belgium 1-2 Italy
Italy have an impressive head-to-head record against Belgium, and they should be able to grind out all three points here. The home side are struggling right now, and this will be a difficult contest for them.
Italy have the strength in depth, and they are likely to grind out a narrow win away from home. Defensively, the Azzurri are the better team, and they are likely to pile further misery on Belgium here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Luciano Spalletti and his charges.
