Preview: England vs. Belgium

Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s friendly clash between England and Belgium, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Two European titans who both failed to win – or even score – in their opening fixtures of the year clash at Wembley on Tuesday evening, as England and Belgium fight for friendly supremacy.

The Three Lions’ affair with Brazil on Saturday night ended in a humbling 1-0 defeat, while the Red Devils were held to a goalless draw by John O’Shea’s Republic of Ireland.

Match preview
© Reuters

Only one member of the starting Brazil backline on Saturday evening had ever earned a senior cap for their country before, but an England offence bereft of Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka struggled to lay a glove on their inexperienced visitors, who had lost their last three games of 2023.

However, Dorival Junior’s first match as Brazil head coach proved to be an incredibly joyous occasion for the Selecao manager, who witnessed 17-year-old Endrick net a record-breaking goal in the 80th minute to settle the match, as the Real Madrid-bound teenager tapped in from a Vinicius Junior rebound.

While Endrick rejoiced in becoming the youngest men’s player to ever score at Wembley for club or country, a familiar sense of pessimism engulfed the Three Lions faithful, whose optimism of Euro 2024 glory has taken a significant hit owing to England’s first defeat at their headquarters in over four years.

Saturday’s reverse also marked a first-ever friendly defeat for Southgate at Wembley and England’s first loss since bowing out of the 2022 World Cup at the hands of France, although Southgate was able to reflect on several positives from his side’s display, even if a lack of cutting edge was a glaring blot on the notebook.

Not since the forgettable Roy Hodgson era in November 2013 have England suffered defeat in two successive home friendlies, although the toothless Three Lions also failed to score in both of those contests, losing 2-0 to Chile four days before a 1-0 reverse at the hands of Germany.

Southgate’s men should not take a leaf out of Belgium’s attacking book on Tuesday night, though, as Domenico Tedesco’s side were also left to rue a tepid offensive display on Ireland’s turf, where no goals were to be had across the 90 minutes on Saturday.

Furthermore, only a Matz Sels penalty save from Evan Ferguson spared Belgium from the embarrassment of a first defeat since being bested by Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, and the Red Devils can therefore proudly boast a 12-game unbeaten run heading into the midweek matchup.

Each of Belgium’s last three games has also seen Tedesco’s team keep a clean sheet, although the drab draw against 62nd-ranked Ireland marked the first time in 14 years that this week’s visitors failed to score against a team sitting outside the FIFA’s top 50, an unwanted feat they last achieved versus Finland in August 2010.

Also left to rue the absence of two of their fundamental cogs in Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, a Belgium side with little to show from their ‘golden generation’ of players will hit the road for the final time before Euro 2024 this week, as home contests with Montenegro and Luxembourg await in June before their next bid for glory begins.

Three of Belgium’s last four showdowns with England have also seen the Red Devils emerge victorious, including a group-stage a third-placed playoff success at the 2018 World Cup, although their only defeat in that time came at an empty Wembley in the 2020-21 Nations League.

England friendly form:

England form (all competitions):

Belgium friendly form:

Belgium form (all competitions):

Team News
© Reuters

Only a few moments after making a goal-saving intervention to deny Vinicius Junior, Kyle Walker succumbed to an apparent hamstring problem and had to leave the field in the 19th minute on Saturday; he initially tried to soldier on before calling it a day.

Walker has now withdrawn from the squad alongside Harry Maguire and Sam Johnstone, both of whom have also sustained injuries, allowing Rico Lewis and James Trafford – uncapped at senior level – to earn promotion to the first team.

The Three Lions boss has also ruled captain Harry Kane (ankle) out of the visit of Belgium, while Cole Palmer and Jordan Henderson – both absent from the loss to Brazil – will require once-overs in the coming hours.

As well as Walker’s replacement Konsa, Kobbie Mainoo and Anthony Gordon also earned their first senior caps for England versus the Selecao, and Everton’s much-coveted defender Jarrad Branthwaite should now join the party owing to Maguire’s withdrawal.

Similarly to England, Belgium also had to cope without their all-time leading scorer at the weekend, as Lukaku sat out the draw with Ireland due to a groin injury, but the on-loan Roma man should be fine to face the Three Lions.

That is more than can be said for the absent De Bruyne, though, but the visiting boss is also blessed with plentiful options for change, particularly in attack as Jeremy Doku and Dodi Lukebakio bid to force their way into the winger positions.

In the dying embers of Saturday’s game, goalkeeper Sels made way for Luton Town’s Thomas Kaminski to make his Belgium debut, but Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels is nursing a shoulder problem and will miss out.

England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Konsa, Stones, Branthwaite, Gomez; Mainoo, Rice; Bowen, Bellingham, Rashford; Toney

Belgium possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Meunier, Faes, Theate, Deman; Tielemans, Onana, Vermeeren; Bakayoko, Lukaku, Doku

We say: England 1-1 Belgium
Should Lukaku indeed be given the green light to line up at Wembley, Belgium will pack a meaner punch in attack than they did against Ireland, and the Red Devils have a knack for keeping things tight at the back as well.

While we still have faith in England to learn some lessons from Saturday’s defeat and breach the sturdy Belgium backline once, Southgate’s men are still a shadow of their former selves up top without Kane or Saka, and an uninspiring draw could be on the cards this week.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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