Belgium v France will kick-off at 19:45 tonight, Thursday 7th October in the Allianz Arena in Torino, Italy. German referee Daniel Siebert will take charge of the game.

The match will be shown live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin TV Go.

Belgium once again finds themselves ranked number one in the world but with no silverware to prove it. They have shown their quality, winning eight of their last nine games only losing to Italy in the Euro 2020 quarterfinal.

Most of their team has reached and past their peak but they will want youngster Jeremy Doku to provide flair and energy on the week tonight.

This looks like one of the greatest France squads that the country has produced but their mentality looks shaken. After five straight draws in 90 minutes, they finally beat Finland 2-0 in their last World Cup qualifier.

The French players’ ego will still be bruised since losing to Switzerland in Euro 2020 and they will need a victory to boost them.

For two neighbors that share languages, they do not face each other very often competitively. Since 2011, they have played four times, ending twice in draws and each team claiming a victory.

The last crossed blades in the 2018 World Cup semi-final which the French won 1-0 on their way to winning the competition.

When Roberto Martinez took over Belgium in 2016, the team would stay in an airport hotel and borrow training facilities.

Today, he shows @goal the new centre he helped to make a reality pic.twitter.com/WOMfZl42d9

— Goal (@goal) October 7, 2021

Belgium v France Probable Starting Teams

Belgium

Formation

3-4-3

Probable Starting 11

Courtois (GK), Vertonghen, Denayer, Alderweireld, Hazard, Tielemans, Witsel, Castagne, Doku, Lukaku, De Bruyne.

Injuries / Suspensions

Meunier (Knee injury)

France

Formation

4-3-1-2

Probable Starting 11

Lloris (GK), Hernández, Kimpembe, Varane, Pavard, Pogba, Tchouméni, Rabiot, Griezmann, Benzema, Mbappé.

Injuries / Suspensions

Martial (Knock)

"Kylian is happy to be here. We cannot go back in time."

Didier Deschamps insists no problems with Kylian Mbappe despite the player claiming he needed more support from his teammates after missing a crucial penalty that led to France getting knocked out of the Euros pic.twitter.com/HsyIGQfnDH

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 7, 2021

Betting

Belgium 15/8

Draw 2/1

France 6/4

Score Prediction

Both teams are made up of sturdy defenses and world-class attacks. The opposing managers will be trying to cancel each other out but from a neutrals perspective, let’s hope that it is full of goals.

Expect this game to end 3-2 to France.

Remember that Benzema is a pure genius. pic.twitter.com/YEMQnvulCD

— Real Madrid Videos (@RMAVideos) October 5, 2021

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The head of the Belgian Football Association, Peter Bossaert has come out and admitted that Martinez will be the manager for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers and beyond.

Coming into the European Championship, Belgium was ranked number one in the official FIFA World rankings, ahead of defending champions Portugal and World champions France.

De Rode Duivels were knocked out by Italy, losing 2-1 at the quarter-final stage in Germany.

Roberto Martinez will remain as manager of Belgium despite their #Euro2020 quarter-final exit at the hands of Italy.

(Via: Sky Sports)#Bel pic.twitter.com/gOqI0A2XQ2

— Oddschanger (@Oddschanger) July 5, 2021

This is yet another major international tournament where Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ have disappointed.

After reaching the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, failing to go further into the latter stages of the Euros has put pressure on Martinez.

A statement read; “Today we start preparations for the September and October games. Roberto Martinez will be there. No official communication will follow, but there is no reason to change the staff,” Bossaert said.

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This be the second quarter-final of the tournament and RTE 2 will be showing the match at 20:00, today, Friday 2^nd July, and on RTE Player.

This game takes place in between the two countries in the Munich Stadium in Germany.

Belgium comes into this game with five straight wins, topping Group B and beating Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16.

The Belgians made a problem for this game are the injuries to two of their main players, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne. Both players are doubtful for this game after both picked up leg injuries in their win against Portugal.

Italy outshines their opponents having won their last 12 games but are yet to face a Euros title contender in the competition. Their most challenging game was the Round of 16 win over Austria needing extra time.

The Italians will come full force into this game hoping that their strike force of Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile will keep scoring.

These two last faced each other at the last Euros in 2016 when Italy beat the Belgians in a group stage match 2-0.

These are two of the ‘teams to beat’ at the Euros and hopefully, this game will become a clash of the titans.

Giaccherini & Pelle scored when Italy beat Belgium 2-0 at EURO 2016!

Who'll come out on top tonight? #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/iOXHpyUCva

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 2, 2021

Predicted Line-ups

Belgium

Formation

3-4-2-1

Predicted Starting 11

Courtois (GK), Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Meunier, T. Hazard, Witsel, Tielemans, Mertens, Carrasco, Lukaku

Injuries/Suspensions

1. Hazard, De Bruyne, Mignolet, Castagne

Italy

Formation

4-3-3

Predicted Starting 11

Donnarumma (GK), Spinazzola, Florenzi, Chiellini, Bonucci, Veratti, Jorginho, Barella, Insigne, Immobile, Chiesa

Injuries/Suspensions

None

Matchday : Italy Vs Belgium pic.twitter.com/lN9HDWs6hV

— HuyGraphic (@phdzn901) July 2, 2021

Betting

Italy looks to be narrow favorites with bookmakers’ odds of 13/10 to win.

For those who can’t choose who will win in 90 mins, a draw has odds of 2/1.

Belgium is the slightest of underdogs in this match with odds of 23/10.

Score Prediction

This is probably Belgium’s last chance with their golden generation, but it seems like they will not overcome this hurdle. With injuries to key players and with Italy have some of the best forms in recent football history, the Belgians will need courage and luck to win.

The Azzuri defense may know Lukaku very well but they won’t manage to keep him scoreless. Instead expect the full-time score to be 3-1 to Italy but Belgium will keep pushing until the end.

BELGIUM Vs ITALY, SWISS Vs SPAIN. Hello out there, Football is back once again. Good morning the footballing world, EURO2020. pic.twitter.com/uEFBaFlqmA

— Jogoo la Shamba Mjini (@JMariotz) July 2, 2021

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Coming into the tournament, Belgium took the risk of bringing an unfit Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne recovering from a face injury.

The decision seemed perfect when De Bruyne showed his class assisting in the third game of the group stage. Hazard also fought back into the starting line-up and captained the side against Portugal.

The match against Ronaldo’s Portugal was a cagey and physical night in Seville. Eden’s brother Thorgan Hazard got the winning goal with a sweet strike in the first half.

Belgium boss, Roberto Martinez said after the game:

“It’s too early to say how they are doing. With Kevin, it’s the ankle, he couldn’t really turn in the second half. With Eden, it’s the muscle, but we have to wait for a diagnosis.”

Staying a little longer pic.twitter.com/ewbwIjgGYW

— Kevin De Bruyne (@DeBruyneKev) June 27, 2021

How did they get injured?

The win was the end of the good news for Belgium as a foul on De Bruyne after half an hour forced him off minutes after halftime. Palhinha, in attempted to take the ball of the Belgian, his knee landed on De Bruyne’s ankle.

Later the substituted Belgian was seen with a large ice pack wrapped around his ankle. The 30-year-old was seen walking around on the pitch after the game, leaving the fans with some hope.

The same cannot be said for Hazard, while chasing down a Portuguese fullback, he pulled up with hamstring pain. He immediately signaled to come off and was replaced by Yannick Carrasco.

De Bruyne will be used to the recovery process having gotten surgery on his face after a block by Antonio Rudiger in the Champion’s League final.

“We’re going to need 48 hours to find out the extent of injuries. Kevin De Bruyne is the ankle, it was a really bad tackle. We don’t have a diagnosis from the medical department,” added Martinez

“Eden Hazard is more muscle. We will go back to Belgium tonight and have the scans tomorrow.”

No player completed more take-ons (4) or fouled more times (4) than Eden Hazard in #POR vs. #BEL.

No wonder he was forced off through injury. pic.twitter.com/Ds24cEDRoK

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 27, 2021

Belgium will face Italy in the Euro 2020 quarterfinal at 20:00 on Friday 2^nd June in Munich.

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Oranje Crush: Czechs Kick Netherlands Out

The Czech Republic won the five o’clock kick-off, upsetting Frank de Boer’s Netherlands in the process.

Dutch defender Matthijs De Ligt was shown a red card for deliberately handling the ball in the fifty-fifth minute.

De Ligt pinned all the blame on himself pic.twitter.com/NtjqCsapSI

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 27, 2021

The Netherlands had dominated the first but had nothing to show for it and the momentum swung in the second half.

Slavia Prague right-back Tomas Holes scored the opening goal in the sixty-eighth minute to give his country the advantage over the 10-man Netherlands.

Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg came off his line and left it open for Holes to put his side ahead.

Frank de Boer’s selections and substitutions proved ineffective in the Netherlands’ first European Championship knockout game since 2008.

Tournament star Patrik Schick finished off the helpless Dutch with the second of the game and his fourth of the tournament coming in the 80th minute.

The Czech Republic will face Denmark in the quarter-finals on Saturday at 5 pm.

Belgium Down Portugal To Keep Euro 2020 Hopes Alive

Later on, the Belgians beat reigning European champions Portugal to earn themselves a date with Italy.

A Thorgan Hazard wondergoal lit up an otherwise dull first half and forced the Portuguese to attack Roberto Martinez’s side in the second half.

Fernando Santos’ selection of Renato Sanches and Joao Palhinha did not pay off as the Portuguese side failed to break down the Belgians.

Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to score his 110th international goal against Belgium, which would have put him out on his own in the all-time international scoring charts.

Belgium (0.23) 1-0 (1.56) Portugal

— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) June 27, 2021

Santos’ side failed to take advantage of the opportunities they had, registering 1.53 expected goals on the night without finding the net.

The 101-year-old defence of Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen and Toby Alderweireld kept a clean sheet and helped their side progress to the quarter-finals.

Belgium will play Italy in their quarter-final on Friday at 5 pm.

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Belgium, Denmark, Finland, and Russia will go head-to-head to determine who goes through.

This is Finland’s first-ever major tournament and they face two former winners in Denmark and Russia and a strong Belgian side.

BELGIUM

Belgium has chosen a squad filled with players in their primes.

Their 26-man team entering the tournament is the oldest at an average age of 29.3.

Furthermore, their squad is the most internationally experienced, with over 50 caps per player on average.

Nice graph from @RahulIyer32. England are one of the youngest squads at Euro 2020, but have totalled the most minutes over a long season. 10 – 11 players near or above the 'likely knackered' threshold. Belgium are peak squad age, with a much fresher team than most top sides pic.twitter.com/V0GCafQsmY

— Sean Fitzsimons (@seand_f) June 2, 2021

Belgium’s world-class individuals will have the world in awe once again this year.

However, an ageing defence may put a roadblock in their chances at glory.

Regardless, a side that includes Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku will strike fear into the hearts of the opposition.

The presence of Thibaut Courtois between the sticks will offer safe hands while Timothy Castagne will offer the side an extra man out wide.

The Belgians squad is stacked and they should have minimal problems getting out of Group B.

DENMARK

Denmark will provide the Belgians with their biggest challenge in the group stage with world-class talents of their own lining up for the Danes this summer.

Kasper Schmeichel will act as the impenetrable wall behind the reliable Andreas Christensen.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg will work tirelessly to protect the backline while Christian Eriksen will be the side’s playmaker.

RB Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen and Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite offer options in attack.

All three of their games will be played in Parken Stadium, Copenhagen and the home advantage could help them when they need it most.

FINLAND

Finland was one of the surprise packages in the qualifying phase, beating out Greece and Bosnia & Herzegovina to a place in Euro 2020.

The side boasts a veteran squad filled with talents from foreign leagues.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Lukas Hradecky will offer a safe pair of hands in goal.

In addition to this, Finnish-Irish star Daniel O’Shaugnessy will form part of the side’s three-man defence.

31-year-old Teemu Pukki will lead the line for the Eagle-Owls with Glen Kamara and captain Tim Sparv occupying the midfield.

The side has upset World Cup winners France in the last year and could offer an upset in the group.

RUSSIA

2018 World Cup hosts Russia round off the teams in Group B.

The World Cup quarterfinalists will compete for one of the two automatic spots in the group but will be without some of their core players from the World Cup run.

Goalkeeper Anton Shunin will hope to replicate Igor Akinfeev’s performances on the world stage but with only three selected centre-backs to protect him.

Mário Fernandes will offer Russia the creative outlet and width he has done for years on the right-hand side while the trio of Aleksander Golovin, Aleksey Miranchuk and Denis Cheryshev will look to light up the tournament alongside their captain Artem Dzyuba.

Russia also has a home advantage at Krestovsky Stadium, St. Petersburg for two of their games – Belgium and Finland.

Aside from the Belgians, this group could be one of the more competitive of the tournament.

Group B fixtures: Denmark v Finland, Saturday, 12th June 17:00. Belgium v Russia, Saturday 12th June 20:00. Finland v Russia, Wednesday 16th June 14:00. Denmark v Belgium, Thursday, 17th June 17:00. Russia v Denmark, Monday, 21st June 20:00. Finland v Belgium, Monday 21st June 20:00.

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Brugge were more than likely going to win the league either way as they were points clear at the summit of the table. There was one match in the regular season left before the pandemic. However, they were declared champions today. They will now take the automatic spot in next seasons Champions League group stages.

A general assembly of the Pro League declared Brugge champions. In which they stated “The general assembly voted to confirm the standings after 29 rounds as the final outcome of the season”. Ghent who finished second will compete in the early rounds of the champions league, while Royal Antwerp, Sporting Charleroi and Standard Liege will represent the country in next season UEFA Europa League. In addition to this, the Pro League said that bottom side Waasland-Beveren will be relegated. Although the club did come out and say they will be contesting this decision. Whether they will be successful or not in doing so only time will tell.

The league have also said that the Belgian Cup final will take place. The two teams that are in this final are Club Brugge and Royal Antwerp. A date has yet to be announced.The game was due to take place in April. However, the coronavirus pandemic put an end to it. Furthermore, the league have said that next seasons league will see only 4 teams contest the play-offs or a mini league if you like. In fact since the 2010 season the top 6 teams in the table contest a mini league to decide the title, this will be cut to four.

The new Belgian season will begin on the 7th of August. Currently, all sports events in the country are suspended till July.

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