Arne Engels gets his first starting spot in midfield, and Loïs Openda starts up front next to the returning Romelu Lukaku. Maxim De Cuyper may take care of the left side.
One point is enough for the Italians in Brussels to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Nations League. The Belgians absolutely must win. The Devils then also have to get past Israel on Sunday’s final match day and a favorable result in Italy-France is necessary for qualification.
Italy has ten points as leader in group A2 after four match days. It only suffered a loss of points in last month’s home game against the Devils. France (9 pts) is second. Belgium is third in the group, with four points, and seems likely to end up there. Israel is last without points. The top two advance to the quarter-finals. The numbers three from the group stage will play jump-offs next spring for retention in the A division against a runner-up from the B division. The numbers four are relegated directly.
