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Belgium’s golden era in football has clearly reached its end in recent years, with the team now facing the challenge of rebuilding following disappointing performances in the 2022 World Cup and their last European Championship. This rebuilding process will be a difficult one for the Red Devils, who began their Nations League campaign with a 3-1 victory over Israel, followed by a 2-0 defeat to France.
They managed a 2-2 draw against Italy, who were down to 10 players, but lost again to France shortly after. With growing public scrutiny, coach Domenico Tedesco’s future with the team seems uncertain. Italy, on the other hand, has not shown its best form since defending its Euro title in 2021 but has performed well in this Nations League, leading the group thanks to a 3-1 win over France, a 2-1 victory over Israel, and a 2-2 draw with Belgium.
Italy secured another win against Israel, maintaining a slight edge over France ahead of their upcoming matchup.
Belgium is missing key players, including captain Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), midfielder Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), defender Thomas Meunier (Lille), and young talent Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg). However, they welcome back top scorer Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), adding firepower alongside Trossard (Arsenal), Doku (Manchester City), and Openda (Leipzig).
Key defenders include Castagne (Fulham), Faes (Leicester), Theate (Frankfurt), and Debast (Sporting), along with midfielders Mangala (Everton), Ketelaere (Atalanta), and Onana (Aston Villa). Rising Lyon winger Malick Fofana also joins the squad.
Italy will benefit from the return of midfielder Pellegrini (Roma), who was suspended during their last game. Coach Luciano Spalletti is likely to rely on regular starters like goalkeeper Donnarumma (PSG) and defenders Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Dimarco (Inter), and Bastoni. In midfield, Tonali (Newcastle), Fagioli (Juventus), and Frattesi (Inter) are expected to feature. Upfront, Retegui (Atalanta) and Raspadori (Napoli) are set to lead the attack, though defender Calafiori, injured with Arsenal, will miss this gathering.
Prediction
In UEFA Nations League matches, Belgium has consistently seen under 3.5 goals in all 14 of their recent home games. Italy’s last 17 away games have followed the same trend, so a similarly low-scoring match is anticipated here.
Prediction: Belgium 1 : 1 Italy
