In the penultimate match of the Nations League group stage, the Red Devils take on Italy at home on Thursday 14 November. Belgium urgently needs points; otherwise, the relegation playoffs may become a reality. Italy doesn’t have to worry as much about this, but they can feel the pressure from both France and Belgium. Read all about it in this article.
Nations League
This biennial tournament is being organized for the fourth time, six years after the first edition in 2018. In the Nations League, 54 UEFA member nations compete, divided into four divisions based on their international performance. Within these divisions, they are further split into groups, and each country plays both home and away matches against the teams in their group.
After the group stage, the teams follow different paths. The top two teams from each group in Division A qualify for the quarterfinals, where they will compete in playoffs to determine who advances to the final round. There will also be playoffs for promotion and relegation across all divisions. The quarterfinals begin on March 20, the final round starts on June 4, and the final is scheduled for June 8, 2025.
Belgium vs. Italy
These two countries have faced each other a total of 25 times. The first match between Italy and Belgium was a friendly played on May 1, 1913, in the Italian city of Turin, where the Italian team won 1-0. Since then, these two teams, both with considerable international experience, have met regularly in both friendly and competitive matches. The last time Italy and Belgium played each other was last month in Rome, where the match ended in a draw. Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui scored for Italy, while Maxim De Cuyper and Leandro Trossard scored for the Red Devils.
Belgium
In their last major international tournament, Euro 2024, the Red Devils were knocked out in the round of 16 by France. This reflects a trend over recent years, where Belgium has often fallen just short. Their best result in the Nations League was in the 2020-2021 consolation final, where Italy proved just too strong. Since then, Belgium has dropped from first to sixth place in the FIFA rankings.
The Red Devils enter this international period in 3rd place in their group. They convincingly won their first game against Israel, but that was the extent of their success. Belgium lost twice to France and only managed a draw against Italy.
De Cuyper and Trossard are set to make another appearance during this international period. Head coach Domenico Tedesco’s selection also includes several players dealing with injuries, which could cause additional concerns. For instance, Charles De Ketelaere sat out at Atalanta, and Jérémy Doku was sidelined at Manchester City with quadriceps issues. Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans both opted to remain with their clubs due to injuries. Romelu Lukaku, who stayed with his club last time, rejoins the squad this time.
Italy
Italy entered this year’s European Championship as defending champions but, after an intense group stage, encountered a strong Switzerland team. This result continued Italy’s recent mixed performances, after finishing in the quarterfinals in 2016 and as runners-up in 2012. They hope to prove themselves again in an international championship. Italy’s best result in the Nations League is third place, which they achieved in both the 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 seasons. Italy is ranked ninth in the FIFA rankings.
Italy heads into their final stretch from the top of the group. They began the group stage with a victory over France, and Belgium is the only team they have not managed to defeat. As a result, they have a one-point lead over France, who lost their first match.
In the Azzurri lineup, three newcomers have been called up: head coach Luciano Spalletti chose Nicolo Savona, Pietro Comuzzo, and Nicolo Rovella as debutants. In the attack, there is Mateo Retegui, the Argentine-born Italian who plays for Atalanta. He is currently the top scorer in the Italian league, with 11 goals in 12 games. Moise Kean, who ranks second on that list, has also been called up for the Italian team.
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