Belgium vs France predicted lineups and team news | OneFootball

Neighbours and rivals Belgium and France meet in what is certain to be a full-blooded Nations League derby in Brussels on Monday evening.

The Group 2 encounter takes place at the King Baudoin Stadium in Brussels and the game kicks off at 7.45pm with live coverage on Viaplay’s Youtube channel.

Tedesco’s Belgians need to end French hoodoo

Belgium are back in the race for a Nations League quarter-final place, but they needed a helping hand from Italy to boost their prospects.

Domenico Tedesco’s men were 2-0 down in Rome and heading for a second straight defeat before Lorenzo Pellegrini’s red card changed everything. Belgium had the extra man and made it count with goals from Maxim De Cuyper and Leandro Trossard securing a 2-2 draw.

It means the Red Devils are in third place in Group 2 on four points, two points behind France, who were routine 4-1 winners over Israel in Thursday’s other contest.

And it means the stakes could not be higher as these old rivals prepare to meet in Brussels with Belgium, in particular, knowing that at the very minimum they need to avoid defeat if they are to have a shot at qualifying for the knockout stages.

And that means ending a barren run against Les Bleus.

France have won each of their last four showdowns with Belgium, most recently in Paris last month when goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele earned Didier Deschamps’ men a 2-0 win.

Belgium v France Team News

Belgium head coach Tedesco will have been delighted with the 2-2 draw in Italy having gone to Rome without captain Kevin de Bruyne and vice-captain Romelu Lukaku.

He was also without keeper Thibaut Courtois, the two men embroiled in a long-running spat which has piled the pressure on the Belgian boss.

Tedesco shrugged off the absences, saying it was a chance for others to start staking claims and certainly a number of youngsters took their chances.

Full-backs Zeno Debast and Maxim De Cuyper didn’t look out of place – De Cuyper even scoring from a brilliantly worked free-kick move off the training ground – though Belgium did ride their luck and the likes of Charles De Ketelaere and Lois Openda missed opportunities to shine.

It was a tough workout for the Red Devils and Tedesco, still yet to convince the public or, it seems, members of his own squad that he can take the country forward, will have to make changes, Timothy Castagne for Debast being one obvious swap.

Dodi Lukebakio and Johan Bakayoko could slot in up front, while Sebastian Bournow’s form at Wolfsburg suggests he may also get the nod.

Les Bleus had a far easier workout than Belgium, cruising to a 4-1 win over Israel in the absence of skipper Kylian Mbappe, who wasn’t missed.

They were also without both Marcus Thuram (minor niggle) and Manu Kone (suspended), so both can return to freshen up the team.

Belgium v France Predicted XIs

Belgium (4-2-3-1): Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Bournow, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Mangala; Bakayoko, Trossard, Lukebakio; Openda.