Belgium and Tunisia will square off against each other in a friendly before they kick-start their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign.
Tunisia will look to return to winning ways and secure a morale-boosting win over one of the giants, Belgium, when the two meet at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels on Saturday afternoon. The Red Devils have been in fine form of late and will look to build on their recent win over Croatia.
The home team secured a spot in the World Cup by finishing top of Group J in European qualifiers with 18 points in their eight games. They won five and played out three draws in their qualifying campaign.
The Red Devils have been unbeaten in their last 12 games and are heading into this fixture on the back of a comfortable 2-0 win over Croatia. They will be looking for a similar performance here, but more importantly, Rudi Garcia will look to try every player at his disposal and figure out his best XI for the main event.
Meanwhile, the visitors secured their spot at the World Cup by finishing top of CAF Group H. They were unbeaten in their qualifying campaign and finished with 28 points in their 10 outings, thanks to nine wins and a draw.
However, their recent form has not been impressive as they have only won one out of their last six games. They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Austria a couple of days back. While they took more shots on goal, Austria dominated the proceedings despite going down to ten men. Tunisia will certainly look for a much-improved performance here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Belgium
The Red Devils did not suffer any new injuries in their last outing. But as expected, Romelu Lukaku, who has some injury concerns, was not risked from the get-go, and that is likely to be the case here as well.
Rudi Garcia’s team will most likely line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will be in goal. Alexis Saelemaekers and Maxim De Cuyper are expected to be the wing-backs, while Arthur Theate, Amadou Onana, and Nathan Ngoy should take charge in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Nicolas Raskin and Youri Tielemans will be the two central midfielders in the centre of the park. The duo will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure they have the majority of the ball.
Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku could be the two attacking midfielders. Doku will most likely drift out wide to the left, while De Bruyne should retain a central position for most parts. Charles De Ketelaere could start as their number nine in this fixture.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Courtois; Ngoy, Onana, Theate; Saelemaekers, Raskin, Tielemans, De Cuyper; De Bruyne, Doku; De Ketelaere
Tunisia
The visitors do not have any fresh injury concerns, and they are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Abdelmouhib Chamakh in goal.
Yan Valery and Ali Abdi will feature as the full-backs, while Omar Rekik and Montassar Talbi will form the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Ellyes Skhiri and Rani Khedira will operate as the double pivot in the centre of the park. The duo will shield the backline and look to ensure Belgian midfielders do not run the show.
Anis Ben Slimane will start on the right wing, with Ismael Gharbi on the left, and Hannibal Mejbri reprising the number ten role. Finally, Firas Chaouat will lead the line for Tunisia against Belgium this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Chamakh; Valery, Rekik, Talbi, Abdi; Skhiri, Khedira; Ben Slimane, Hannibal, Gharbi; Chaouat
Key Stats
- Belgium are unbeaten in their last 12 matches across all competitions and have scored 40 goals in the process.
- Tunisia haven’t found the back of the net in their last two outings.
- The visitors have only won one out of their last six games in all competitions.
- In the three meetings between the two teams, Belgium have won two and drawn one.
- Their last meeting took place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where Belgium eased past Tunisia with a scoreline of 5-2.
Player to Watch
Jeremy Doku
While Doku only has seven goals in his 42 appearances for Belgium, he has developed a lot over the last 12 months as a player. He enjoyed an impressive campaign at Manchester City last time out. In his 47 appearances, he finished with eight goals and 14 assists.
22 goal contributions in less than 3,000 minutes of first team action is quite an impressive return. He was impressive against Croatia and will look to carry that form into this fixture as well. The 24-year-old can certainly have a big impact on the result of this fixture.
Prediction
Belgium 3-0 Tunisia
Belgium head into this fixture as overwhelming favourites given their recent form and the quality at their disposal. Rudi Garcia’s team have gone 12 matches without defeat and have been scoring goals for fun, netting 40 times during that run.
With Kevin De Bruyne pulling the strings in midfield and Jeremy Doku providing pace and creativity in the final third, the Red Devils should create plenty of opportunities against a Tunisia side that has struggled for consistency in recent months.
Meanwhile, Tunisia will be eager to put their disappointing display against Austria behind them, but facing Belgium away from home is a completely different challenge. The visitors have managed just one win in their last six outings and have failed to score in each of their last two matches.
While they are expected to remain compact and disciplined defensively, Belgium’s superior quality and attacking depth should eventually prove decisive. The Hard Tackle predicts a comfortable 3-0 win for Belgium.
