Preview: Italy vs Belgium - prediction, team news, lineups

Both starting afresh after changing their manager, Italy and Belgium will kick off their 2026-27 UEFA Nations League campaign with a Friday night clash at Stadio Olimpico.

The pair's League A Group 1 opener will be the first of four games apiece across the next fortnight, in a group also featuring France and Turkey.

Match preview

After yet another qualifying failure, fallen giants Italy are beginning a rebuild, having missed out on a third straight World Cup in the dreaded playoffs.

Comfortably beaten to top spot in their group by Norway, the Azzurri then saw off Northern Ireland in the semis, but they subsequently lost a dramatic penalty shootout to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Despite winning the Euros five years ago, the four-time world champions last reached football's global showpiece back in 2014, and Gennaro Gattuso was the latest coach to pay the price.

Following a brief interim spell under youth coach Silvio Baldini, it was ultimately decided - after initial candidate Andrea Pirlo fell by the wayside - that Italy required a steady hand in charge.

Three years after leaving La Nazionale behind for Saudi Arabia, Euro 2020 winner Roberto Mancini has returned to the bench and will lead his country towards the next European Championships.

After Baldini named a young squad full of uncapped players for two post-season friendlies - 1-0 wins over Luxembourg and Greece - Mancini has also looked towards the future with his selection this month.

There are several fresh faces in a 34-man squad, and their first task will be to start Group 1 by beating Belgium.

While Italy reached the quarter-finals in 2025 - after making the semis two years earlier - Belgium have only progressed to the Nations League's final phase once before, when they finished fourth in 2021.

Featuring amid that modest record are one draw and two defeats to the Azzurri, who they will now meet again under new management.

Despite leading Belgium to the World Cup quarter-finals - where they were narrowly beaten by eventual winners Spain - Rudi Garcia has been replaced as head coach.

Former PSV, Wolfsburg and Antwerp manager Mark van Bommel is now in charge of the Red Devils, and the Dutchman faces a tough set of fixtures across the next fortnight.

First, his squad must visit Italy - who have won four of the pair's last five meetings - before facing old foes France twice, either side of a challenging home game against Turkey.

A gradual changing of the guard will continue, with several younger players being integrated, but Kevin De Bruyne and all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku remain.

Prior to that defeat against Spain, the Belgians were unbeaten in 18 games, so Van Bommel could have the raw material to fight for first place in Group 1.

Italy form (all competitions):

Belgium form (all competitions):

Team News

One of an unprecedented 10 players from outside Serie A, the first Italy squad of Mancini's second spell will be captained by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has already won 83 caps at the age of 27.

The hosts cannot call upon Alessandro Bastoni (suspended), plus Federico Dimarco, Bryan Cristante and Juventus skipper Manuel Locatelli (all injured).

Mateo Retegui has not been called up, so Moise Kean and Gianluca Scamacca must compete with brothers Sebastiano and Pio Esposito to start up front, with Mancini expected to deploy a 4-3-3 formation.

Since making his debut in World Cup 2026 qualifying, the latter has scored five goals in nine international appearances, and his form for Inter Milan should get him the nod.

Among the new faces, Cagliari midfielder Alessandro Romano turned down Switzerland to represent the Azzurri, Michael Kayode has regularly impressed for Brentford, while Mohamed Ali Zoma was plucked from the obscurity of 2.Bundesliga side Nurnberg.

Meanwhile, Belgium's young prospects include Paris Saint-Germain winger Mika Godts - who was the Eredivisie's second-top scorer last season - and Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia.

Premier League newcomers Malick Fofana and Matias Fernandez-Pardo could also feature on Friday, when Manchester United's Youri Tielemans will wear the armband.

The Red Devils have lost some experience, with Axel Witsel finally retiring from international football; Mats Selz has also stepped aside, while injury-plagued Thibaut Courtois is taking a break.

Without the latter pair, Senne Lammens, Mike Penders, Maarten Vandevoordt and Jari De Busser can compete for selection in goal.

Andre Onana misses out due to the long-term injury he sustained at the World Cup, joining Leandro Trossard on the sidelines; having only returned to action last week, Jeremy Doku is not included either.

Italy possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Kayode, Mancini, Scalvini, Calafiori; Barella, Tonali, Frattesi; Inacio, P. Esposito, Raspadori

Belgium possible starting lineup:

Lammens; Castagne, De Winter, Theate, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Lavia; Lukebakio, De Bruyne, Godts; Lukaku