Prediction: Belgium vs Switzerland

Prediction: Belgium win

Best Odds: 4/9

Bookmaker: bet365

The UEFA Nations League returns once again this week, and while the majority of football fans probably don’t even know what the purpose of it is, it’s still exciting to have another competition that means more than a friendly. Sure, the World Cup and the European Championships serve as the ‘top dogs’ in terms of these events, but given that they only take place every two years it makes sense for something else to enter the fray. One of the more important games in the NL this week, in our opinion, comes in the form of Belgium vs Switzerland.

Belgium

The Belgians are still somewhat reeling from the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in which they were unable to overcome local rivals France who went on to win the tournament. Still, for such a small country it’s not exactly embarrassing to claim that you’ve finished third in the World Cup, and it seems as if their golden generation still has enough steam left for Euro 2020 in a few years time. They’ve got the skill, they’ve got the ability, and they’ve certainly got the desire to go all the way and become Champions of Europe.

Team News

Mousa Dembele, Jan Vertonghen, Kevin De Bruyne and Adnan Januzaj are all injured, so we can expect to see some fresh faces in the squad.

Switzerland

All in all you could probably argue that the Swiss will be disappointed with their performances in Russia, despite the fact that they were able to reach the Round of 16. If they had a bit more drive then they could’ve overcome Sweden given the talent they had in their ranks, but alas, they’re left to rebuild as we look ahead to Euro 2020. They’ve got a strong core throughout their squad as they were able to prove in their recent demolition of Iceland, but it’s just a case of maintaining some consistency.

Team News

Kevin Mbabu, Johan Djourou and Admir Mehmedi are all injured, offering the chance for a series of youngsters to shine against the Belgians.

Factors to Consider

• The game will be played at Belgium’s King Baudouin Stadium.
• Belgium have won five and lost one of their last six games.
• Switzerland have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.
• Belgium have scored 14 goals and conceded four in their last six games.
• Switzerland have scored 11 goals and conceded six in their last six games.

Conclusion

The Swiss are one of those nations that you can just never rule out, no matter how many times it seems as if they’ve got their back against the wall. Alas, in this instance, it feels like a Belgium win is the only way this is going to go as the Nations League continues to ramp up. The Belgians have a slick style but will be evenly matched in the middle of the park throughout the course of the first 45 minutes or so, but we can see them breaking the visitors down before eventually running away with a 3-1 victory.

Prediction: Belgium win

Best Odds: 4/9

Bookmaker: bet365