Belgium host England at Den Dreef on Sunday in arguably the most attractive fixture of the current crop of UEFA Nations League fixtures.
Gareth Southgate’s side came from behind at Wembley to overcome the world’s top-ranked team last month. The Red Devils took the lead through a Romelu Lukaku penalty, but Marcus Rashford replied with a spot-kick of his own, before Mason Mount’s deflected strike earned a memorable win for the Three Lions.
Roberto Martinez will be hoping the same result will not occur again, but it’s not looking good for the ex-Premier League manager with captain Eden Hazard contracting Covid-19 and Yannick Carrasco out injured.
UEFA Nations League A, Group 2
Sunday 15 November
King Power at Den Dreef Stadion
21:45
To Win
Belgium Win 13/10
Draw 23/10
England 2/1
Belgium
Belgium immediately bounced back to winning ways after their defeat to England, recording a 2-1 victory away to Iceland thanks to a brace from Lukaku, who netted his third goal in Group A2.
The defeat at Wembley was the Red Devils’ first loss in 14 matches and they’ll be eager to gain revenge in Belgium where they’ve won their last 10 competitive home games, scoring 46 goals in the process.
Martinez’s men sit top of Group A2 with nine points. If they beat England, and Denmark drop points against Iceland, the Red Devils will open up an unassailable lead at the top of the group log.
Belgium may be without Hazard, but their squad is still stacked with quality, and as long as Kevin De Bruyne’s in the team, the Red Devils are capable of beating any side.
Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), Thomas Kaminski (Blackburn Rovers).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Foket (Stade de Reims), Sebastiaan Bornauw (Cologne), Dedryck Boyata (Hertha BSC), Jason Denayer (Lyon), Leander Dendoncker (Wolves), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Thomas Vermaelen (Vissel Kobe), Jan Vertonghen (Benfica), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund).
Midfielders: Nacer Chadli (Istanbul Basaksehir), Joris Kayembe (Charleroi), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Dennis Praet, Youri Tielemans (both Leicester City), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel, Thorgan Hazard (both Borussia Dortmund).
Forwards: Dodi Lukebakio (Hertha BSC), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Charles De Ketelaere (Club Brugge), Yari Verschaeren, Jeremy Doku (both Anderlecht), Michy Batshuayi, Christian Benteke (both Crystal Palace), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan).
England
England defied the odds to overcome Martinez’s men at Wembley, but after such a great result against the world’s top-ranked side, the Three Lions were beaten 1-0 at home to Denmark, losing top spot in their Nations League group.
It was a bitter result which saw the Three Lions drop down to third in Group A2, with two points behind leaders Belgium and below Denmark on goal difference. Southgate’s side will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways and leapfrog the Red Devils in the group log.
England have proven they can beat the world’s top-ranked team, but if they are to do it again, this time in Belgium, Southgate’s side will need to play even better than they did last month as Martinez’s men rarely drop points on home soil.
Beating the Red Devils in Belgium is no easy task, but with players like Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Ben Chilwell, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden, England aren’t short of talent.
Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Manchester United), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Reece James (Chelsea), Michael Keane (Everton), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Harry Winks (Tottenham)
Forwards: Tammy Abraham (Chelsea), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Prediction: Belgium (13/10)
A win for Belgium will take them a step closer to winning Group A2 and with home advantage, I’m quite confident the world’s top-ranked side will get the job done.
Written by Chad Nagel