Belgium and Netherlands will both be looking to make positive starts to their UEFA Nations League campaigns when they lock horns in Brussels on Friday night.

The pair have been drawn alongside Poland and Wales in League A Group 4, and both sides will play four times in the competition over the next couple of weeks.

Match preview

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Belgium finished top of League A Group 2 in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League to reach the semi-finals, where they lost 3-2 to France before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Italy in the third-place playoff.

This time around, Roberto Martinez's side will face Netherlands, Poland and Wales in the group stage, and it would not be a surprise to see them in the semi-finals of the competition once again.

Belgium will take on the Netherlands, Poland twice and Wales over the next couple of weeks, but they will already be thinking about the 2022 World Cup, with matches against Canada, Morocco and Croatia in the group stage.

The Red Devils finished third at the 2018 World Cup, losing to France in the semi-finals before beating England 2-0 in the third-place playoff four days later.

Belgium did not make a serious impression at last summer's European Championship, though, going out in the quarter-finals of the competition to eventual winners Italy.

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Netherlands finished second at the 2010 World Cup before claiming third in 2014, but they failed to qualify for the 2018 competition, losing three of their 10 qualification fixtures.

Holland will be present in Qatar, though, having finished top of Group G, picking up 23 points from their 10 matches during a strong campaign, and it will be fascinating to see how they perform at the 2022 competition.

In the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, Netherlands were second behind Italy in League A Group 1, with the European champions advancing to the semi-finals of the competition.

Louis van Gaal's side finished their World Cup qualification campaign with a 2-0 victory over Norway last November before playing two friendlies against Denmark and Germany in March, beating the former 4-2 before drawing 1-1 with the latter three days later.

Netherlands have played out 1-1 draws with Belgium in their last two matches, both of which have been friendlies, but they have not met in a competitive fixture since the 1998 World Cup, drawing 0-0 in the group stage.

Team News

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Belgium will be without the services of Thibaut Courtois, with the goalkeeper, who put in a man-of-the-match performance for Real Madrid in the Champions League final, pulling out of the squad due to a groin strain.

Jason Denayer is also missing due to an ankle issue, so Dedryck Boyata could start in the middle of the defence, while Koen Casteels might get the nod between the sticks.

Eden Hazard only recovered from a leg operation in the latter stages of the season, but the attacker is in the squad and could start, while Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne are also expected to be in the side.

As for the Netherlands, Mark Flekken could potentially be given the nod between the sticks, while a back three is likely to include Matthijs de Ligt and Virgil van Dijk.

Jurrien Timber is also pushing to start, with the defender, who is currently being strongly linked with Manchester United, enjoying an impressive campaign at Ajax.

Memphis Depay is a certain starter in the final third of the field, meanwhile, and he could be joined by Wout Weghorst, although Steven Bergwijn, Noa Lang and Cody Gakpo are also options.

There will also be a midfield role for Frenkie de Jong, who has recently said that he wants to remain at Barcelona amid reports of interest from Man United.

Belgium possible starting lineup:
Casteels; Alderweireld, Boyata, Vertonghen; Meunier, Tielemans, Witsel, Carrasco; E Hazard, Lukaku, De Bruyne

Netherlands possible starting lineup:
Flekken; De Ligt, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, Berghuis, Koopmeiners, F de Jong, Blind; Weghorst, Memphis

We say: Belgium 1-1 Netherlands

Both managers would likely accept a draw if it was offered ahead of kickoff, and we can see the pair sharing the points on Friday night. Belgium, arguably, have the superior talent, especially in the forward areas, but Netherlands will be strong at the back, and we are predicting a stalemate here.

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

Written by
Matt Law

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