Belgium and France face each other in their first big test of the Nations League under new coaches Marc van Bommel and Zinedine Zidane. The Group A1 match kicks off at 9:45 PM at the "King Baudouin" stadium in Brussels.
Belgium started with a 2-0 victory away to Italy. The victory was the debut for van Bommel in charge of the national team, and Kevin De Bruyne distinguished himself with an assist. The hosts are on a six-match unbeaten home run, keeping a clean sheet in five of them.
France also started with three points under their new coach. The "Roosters" won 1-0 away to Turkey, but lost Kylian Mbappe for the upcoming match due to injury. Ousmane Dembele is expected to be among the main figures in the attack of the guests. France is unbeaten in its last five away matches.
France has a significant advantage in the rivalry
The French have won the last five direct meetings between the two teams, including the three matches in the League of Nations. Belgium's last competitive success against France was in 1981.
Belgium has no new serious personnel problems, but Thibaut Courtois has been given a rest. France will be without Mbappe, William Saliba, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Aurelien Chouhameni and Ibrahima Konate.
“If you see who can replace him, you understand that it will not take much from the strength of the French team“, said Belgium defender Timothy Castan when discussing Mbappe's absence. Marc van Bommel added that the personnel change should not change the way his team will play.
The match is part of a busy schedule
According to the UEFA schedule, the match is the second for both teams in Group A1. Belgium and France will meet again on October 5 in France. The group also includes Italy and Turkey, who also play today.
France is listed as the favorite in the odds published by “Focus“ PalmsBet gives 1.66 for the away team to win, 3.80 for a draw and 3.66 for Belgium to win. At BETHUB the odds are 1.89, 4.10 and 3.99 respectively.
Sources: Focus