Belgium v France– Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Belgium faces France The Red Devils have only four points from three matches so far, following a 2-2 draw with ten-man Italy last week. France, meanwhile, thrashed Israel 4-1 away despite the absence of Kylian Mbappé.

Belgium Form

Belgium only reached the last 16 of the Euros, having entered the tournament on a 15-match unbeaten run. They lost 1-0 to Slovakia in the opening match, then beat Romania 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Ukraine in their final group game.

Their tournament ended with a 1-0 loss to France, managing just five shots on goal. In their opening UEFA Nations League match, they beat Israel 2-1 with 3.53 xG. A 2-0 loss away to France in September was followed by a 2-2 away draw against Italy last Thursday. Belgium played 52 minutes against ten men but could only produce 0.95 xG.

Belgium Team News

Belgium will be without Amadou Onana, Matz Sels, Romelu Lukaku, and Yannick Carrasco for various reasons. Kevin De Bruyne and Alexis Saelemaekers are also unavailable.

Loïs Openda is expected to start up front, while Koen Casteels will play in goal with Thibaut Courtois unavailable. Coach Domenico Tedesco may bench Charles De Ketelaere in favor of adding an extra defender to the starting XI.

Belgium Motivation

The Red Devils are in a rebuilding phase as they look to develop their next great team. This is not a particularly experienced squad overall.

They will aim to play on the front foot under their coach but are capable of switching formation to absorb pressure.

France Form

France had lost just once in 14 matches before their Euros exit. They progressed through their group with five points, drawing 0-0 against the Netherlands and 1-1 against Poland in their final two matches. They beat Belgium 1-0 in the round of 16 before winning on penalties against Portugal following a 0-0 draw in the quarter-finals.

France was knocked out in the semi-finals in a 2-1 loss to Spain. In their UEFA Nations League opener, a 1-0 lead turned into a 2-1 home loss to Italy. They bounced back by winning the home fixture against Belgium 2-0 and then easily defeated Israel 4-1 on Thursday in Budapest.

France Team News

Didier Deschamps is without Benjamin Pavard, Adrien Rabiot, Dayot Upamecano, and Kingsley Coman for this match. N’Golo Kanté was not selected, Kylian Mbappé is injured, and Antoine Griezmann has retired from international football.

The backline is expected to remain unchanged. The key decision is whether to start Christopher Nkunku on the left or to bring Bradley Barcola back into the XI. Matteo Guendouzi, who scored against Israel off the bench, is also an option to freshen up the midfield.

 France Motivation

Deschamps does not favor an attacking style. He will likely focus on keeping a clean sheet in Belgium.

A 0-0 draw or a narrow 1-0 win is what France will aim for. They can’t afford another loss in the Nations League if they want to progress from the group.Under Domenico Tedesco, Belgium plays a more progressive style and won’t sit back defensively.

Key Stats

Belgium has lost 5 of their last 11 Nations League matches.

Belgium has lost 3 of their last 7 matches (after being unbeaten in 15 matches prior).

France has lost 2 of their last 4 matches (after only 2 losses in the 18 matches before that).

France has scored 6 goals in their last 2 matches (after scoring just 5 goals in the previous 8 matches).

France has kept 7 clean sheets in their last 10 matches.

Verdict

Belgium looks far from full strength, and they were ineffective in their draw against Italy. I expect France to keep a clean sheet and secure a narrow one-goal win.