Belgium will look to bounce back from their narrow defeat to France when they welcome Turkiye to their latest UEFA Nations League fixture on Friday.
Mark van Bommel’s side sit second in UEFA Nations League A Group 1 after taking three points from their opening two matches, while Turkiye are still searching for their first points after defeats to France and Italy.
Belgium began the Nations League with an encouraging 2-0 victory over Italy, but their momentum was checked by France in their second fixture, with Les Bleus securing a 1-0 win. Despite that defeat, Belgium remain second in the group, three points behind France. Van Bommel’s team also have another meeting with the group leaders coming up on October 5, making Friday’s fixture particularly important.
A victory would keep Belgium firmly involved at the top of the section and provide some momentum before their next encounter with France. The Red Devils also have plenty of familiarity with their opponents as Belgium and Turkiye have met 11 times, with Belgium winning three, Turkiye winning three and the remaining five ending in draws.
However, Belgium have won just one of their last seven meetings with the Crescent-Stars. That recent record should give Turkiye some encouragement despite their difficult start to the current campaign. Meanwhile, Turkiye’s Nations League campaign has begun in disappointing fashion.
Vincenzo Montella’s side were narrowly beaten 1-0 by France in their opener before suffering a much heavier 4-1 defeat to Italy and now Turkiye sit bottom of League A Group 1 without a point after two matches. The challenge now is to halt that slide quickly. With further matches against Italy and Belgium to come, Turkiye need a significant improvement if they are to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.
The away side’s presence in League A itself represents progress after they won promotion from League C in 2022/23 and subsequently moved up from League B in 2024/25. Avoiding relegation would be a significant achievement, but Montella’s side need results to accompany that progress.
The head-to-head record is remarkably even as Belgium have won three of the 11 meetings, exactly matching Turkiye’s tally of victories, while five encounters have ended in draws. The most recent competitive meetings came during Euro 2012 qualifying. Turkiye won 3-2 at home, while the return fixture in Belgium finished 1-1.
That history is relevant because Belgium have found Turkiye difficult to overcome even when entering matches with the stronger squad on paper. Belgium are likely to have more possession and territorial control, particularly at home, but they must be careful not to become predictable. Kevin De Bruyne remains an important creative reference point, while the home side’s wide players can stretch Turkiye’s defensive shape and create space centrally.
Turkiye’s best route may be through transitions. Montella’s team can look to absorb pressure before attacking quickly into the spaces left behind Belgium’s advancing full-backs. The midfield battle will therefore be crucial. If Belgium can control the centre and prevent the Crescent-Stars from launching quick counter-attacks, they should be able to sustain pressure.
For Turkiye, defensive organisation will be the priority. After conceding four against Italy, avoiding another early setback could give them the confidence to stay in the game and exploit Belgium’s vulnerabilities later. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both sides could line up and what tactics they might employ on the day.
Team News & Tactics
Belgium
Belgium will be without Diego Moreira, who is suspended after picking up a milestone booking in the defeat to France and his absence should open the door for Dodi Lukebakio to return to the starting XI. There are also fitness concerns over Romeo Lavia, who was forced off late against France, and goalkeeper Mike Penders, with both players facing late assessments.
Thibaut Courtois and Jeremy Doku remain notable absentees from the squad. Kevin De Bruyne is expected to retain his attacking midfield role, operating behind Charles De Ketelaere, while Mika Godts should continue on the left.
Belgium are likely to maintain their 4-2-3-1 setup, with Senne Lammens in goal and Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, and Joaquin Seys forming the back four. Youri Tielemans should partner Lavia in the double pivot, provided the latter passes his fitness test.
The suspension of Moreira should see Lukebakio provide a more direct attacking outlet on the right. His ability to attack space and drive towards the box could be useful against a Turkiye side that has conceded five goals across its opening two matches.
The most important Belgian player remains De Bruyne. Operating as the No. 10, he should look to exploit the space between Turkiye’s midfield and defensive lines. If he can receive facing forward, Belgium can quickly turn possession into chances through Godts and Lukebakio. The Tielemans-Lavia partnership is potentially significant.
The former can dictate play from deeper areas, while the latter’s ability to carry the ball through pressure gives Belgium another way to progress without relying exclusively on De Bruyne. However, Lavia’s fitness is a genuine tactical consideration and if he is unavailable, Belgium may lose some of their ability to break Turkiye’s first line of pressure through midfield.
The home side’s full-backs should also be important as Castagne and Seys can push forward to create width, allowing Godts and Lukebakio to move into more dangerous inside positions. The risk is that this could leave space behind them for Turkiye’s counter-attacks.
With Courtois and Doku unavailable, Belgium have less experience in key areas, but their 2-0 victory over Italy earlier in the Nations League demonstrates that van Bommel’s side can combine controlled possession with attacking efficiency. Against Turkiye, the priority will be turning that control into an early advantage while avoiding the defensive lapses that contributed to their defeat against France.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, Seys; Tielemans, Lavia; Lukebakio, De Bruyne, Godts; De Ketelaere
Turkiye
Turkiye have received a boost ahead of Friday’s contest with Ugurcan Cakir available again after serving a suspension. Abdulkerim Bardakci and Ferdi Kadioglu are also expected to return to the starting XI after being left out of the side that suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Italy.
Much of Turkiye’s attacking responsibility will once again fall on Arda Guler. The Real Madrid midfielder is expected to operate from the right side of the front three, where his ability to drift inside should give Belgium’s defence another problem to manage. Baris Alper Yilmaz should again start through the middle, with Can Uzun completing the attacking trio.
Turkiye are expected to retain their 3-4-3 structure, with Cakir behind Zeki Celik, Abdulkerim Bardakci, and Ozan Kabak. The midfield quartet should consist of Oguz Aydin, Salih Ozcan, Orkun Kokcu, and Ferdi Kadioglu.
The 3-4-3 can become particularly useful when Turkiye defend because the wing-backs can drop alongside the three centre-backs, effectively creating a back five. That could help them deal with Belgium’s wide attacking threats. Arda Guler and Can Uzun will act as dual number 10s behind Can Uzun upfront.
The key tactical weapon remains Guler. Rather than staying permanently wide, he can drift into the half-space and operate closer to the central midfielders and Yilmaz. That movement could create situations where Belgium’s midfield has to decide whether to track Guler or protect the space in front of the centre-backs.
Kokcu should also be important in progressing possession from midfield, while Kadioglu can provide width on the left and give Türkiye an outlet when they win the ball. The biggest concern will be the spaces behind the wing-backs. Belgium can potentially exploit those areas during transitions, particularly if Kadıoglu and Aydin push high simultaneously.
Turkiye therefore need a careful balance: attack quickly enough to trouble Belgium but retain sufficient numbers behind the ball to prevent the hosts from turning turnovers into dangerous counter attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Cakir; Celik, Bardakci, Kabak; Aydin, Ozcan, Kokcu, Kadioglu; Guler, Yilmaz, Uzun
Key Stats
- Belgium have taken three points from their opening two Nations League matches, beating Italy 2-0 before losing 1-0 to France.
- Turkiye have lost both of their opening Group 1 matches, going down 1-0 to France and then suffering a 4-1 defeat against Italy.
- Belgium and Türkiye have met 11 times, with Belgium winning three, Turkiye winning three and five matches ending in draws.
- Belgium have won only one of their last seven meetings with Turkiye.
- Belgium kept a clean sheet in their opening Nations League match, while Turkiye have conceded five goals across their first two group games.
Player to Watch
Kevin De Bruyne
The veteran playmaker remains the side’s primary creative outlet and should again operate in an advanced midfield role. His ability to receive between the lines, switch play quickly and deliver passes behind the defensive line could be particularly important against a Turkiye side likely to defend in a compact shape.
Belgium may have to break down a deep block for long periods, making De Bruyne’s vision and set-piece quality valuable. If Turkiye commit numbers forward on the counter, his passing could also allow Belgium to transition quickly from defence into attack. After Belgium’s narrow 1-0 defeat to France, De Bruyne will be one of the key players expected to provide the attacking spark needed to return to winning ways.
Prediction
Belgium 2-1 Turkiye
Turkiye’s recent record against Belgium means this should not be dismissed as a straightforward home fixture. However, Belgium have home advantage, possess greater attacking depth and need a victory to maintain pressure on France at the top of the group.