England is welcoming Belgium to Wembley Stadium in round 3 in the UEFA Nations League.
England did well in the Euro Cup qualifications, but they have been struggling in the attacking end in the first two games of the Nations League. During that stretch, England has scored only 1 goal, and that was from the penalty spot against Iceland. In their latest match, England was playing against Wales at home, and they have had 46% of ball possession, 6 shots on goal, and 6 corner kicks. This was the game where England has completely changed their starting lineup, but they were still able to score 3 goals. England did well on both ends in this game, and they have won this match 3-0. In the Nations League, England is in second place in their group with 4 points. The only goal scored for England in the Nations League came from Sterling. There are no injuries or suspensions reported in England as of right now. England has the incredible depth in their roster, but when their best players are on the field, England tends to complicate their attacks, and they are trying to get to the goal line before taking the shot. England will need to go back to their style from the World Cup in Russia if they want to be more competitive next year because if they continue playing dull soccer like this, England will not have a good time in the Euro Cup next year.
I’ve said this many times before, and I will say it again, Belgium is one of the best and most exciting teams in the world, and they are probably playing the best soccer in Europe. Belgium has played a friendly game against Ivory Coast a few days ago, and that match ended in a 1-1 draw, but Belgium’s starting lineup was mixed. It is will unknown if Eden Hazard will play in this game, but he is on the roster, and Zidane did mention a couple of weeks ago that he is close to being recovered from his injury. Belgium is in the first place in the group in the Nations League with 6 points, 7 scored goals, and only 1 conceded goal. Batshuayi and Mertens have each scored 2 goals for Belgium so far, while Witsel, Denayer, and Doku added 1 goal each. I love watching Belgium play, and they can beat any team in the world, but they always fail to make that one final step towards the title in the major competition, but who knows, maybe the Euro Cup next year will finally be when Belgium goes all the way.
Belgium has beaten England in the World Cup 2 years ago in the game for third place, and they have beaten them in the group stage of the same competition. England has been terrible in the attacking end in their first two games of the Nations League, but I think they will play better here because their opponent is stronger and better. I see goals here, on both sides.