France vs Belgium

Parc Olympique Lyonnais forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering UEFA Nations League showdown between France and Belgium.

Despite scoring a first-minute opener in their curtain-raising clash against Italy, France slipped to a dismal 3-1 home loss to ‘Gli Azzurri,’ casting doubt on their hopes of landing their second Nations League title. Didier Deschamps’ men have amends to make after losing back-to-back internationals for the first time since June 2015. Belgium’s upcoming visit could be just what the doctor ordered for the French as they’ve won the last three meetings between the two nations, including a narrow 1-0 triumph in the Euro 2024 round of 16. Worryingly for ‘Les Bleus’ supporters, they have lost three of their last four home outings in the Nations League (W1), increasing the risk of suffering three successive defeats for the first time since 2013.

Meanwhile, Belgium recovered from their underwhelming Euro 2024 elimination with a 3-1 home triumph against Israel in their opening Group A2 game, with Kevin De Bruyne netting a match-winning brace to end his country’s two-game winless run (D1, L1). However, Domenico Tedesco’s charges have stuttered on their travels in 2024, recording just two victories across their seven games on foreign soil since the beginning of the calendar year (D3, L2). That unenviable form looks set to continue in France, considering the Belgians have never won a competitive fixture on this turf (D2, L4). Tedesco must shore up Belgium’s defensive leaks to buck that trend, with ‘De Rode Duivels’ conceding in nine of their last ten Nations League contests.