Prediction and odds for the game: Belgium (19/10) vs France (6/4)
We are backing the Belgium win
When: Thursday 7 October 2021, Kick-off 19:45
Where: The Allianz Stadium (Turin)
On Thursday night, two of the worlds best international teams Belgium and Italy clash at the Allianz Stadium in the second semi-final of the Nations League.
Belgium
The Red Devils are currently ranked as the top team in the world in the FIFA rankings. That is no surprise considering the talent available to head coach Roberto Martinez. However, despite all the individual talent, Belgium have rather underachieved when it comes to winning international trophies. They suffered a 2-1 defeat against Italy at Euro 2020 in the quarter-final of the competition.
The loss against the eventual European champions was a rare one for Martinez’s team, as it is their only defeat in 17 international matches. They have also won 14 of those 17 matches.
Belgium have a pretty strong record in the Nations League too, as they have won eight and lost two of their ten games since its inception back in 2018. Both of those defeats have come away from home in the competition. The Red Devils have won all five of their Nations League games on home soil while scoring at least twice in each of the wins. Italy is not exactly home soil, but they should still be strong in this clash.
France
Didier Deschamps world champions head into this game on the back of a poor run of form by their high standards. A 2-0 victory over Finland in their last outing ended a run of five straight draws in 90 minutes (they suffered a penalty kick loss against Switzerland at Euro 2020). Les Bleus have not been at their best in recent games that is for sure. The win over Finland also ended a run of five international games without a clean sheet for the visitors.
France have a pretty solid record in the Nations League, winning seven of their previous ten games in the competition while suffering just one defeat. A 4-2 win over Sweden in their last Nations League match means that Les Bleus are undefeated in six games in the competition, having recorded five wins.
The world champions failed to win either of their initial two away games in the Nations League. However, Les Bleus are now on a run of three straight away wins in the competition.
Conclusion
This could be a highly fascinating encounter between two of the world’s best teams. The absence of N’Golo Kante for France could be vital in this game. We are backing Belgium to record a narrow victory in a high-scoring encounter. The Red Devils are hard to beat, while France have not been overly convincing in their recent outings.
Our Tips: We are backing Belgium to win at odds of 19/10 and/or over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 39/29. (All odds are taken from Bet365).
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Which of these teams will book their place in the Nations League final?
