England wasted numerous opportunities during Saturday’s loss to Brazil, yet there are glimmers of hope in this friendly against Belgium. Gareth Southgate will look to use his lessons learned against an extremely sturdy Belgian defence.
Cole Palmer will likely miss Middlesbrough’s game after suffering an injury during training, though he could come off the bench.
England
Gareth Southgate will benefit from the return of Manchester City forward Ivan Toney, as well as Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek making his first squad appearance since 2017. However, Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka and Everton defender Kyle Walker may both miss this game due to injury.
Even with two high-profile players out, England remains an overwhelming favourite to take this fixture. But it must be remembered that they have struggled against top teams before and need to tighten up on defensive errors if they hope to progress further.
England were dealt an early blow when John Stones had to leave due to a groin strain in the 19th minute, and Romelu Lukaku’s cross set up an unmarked Youri Tielemans for Belgium’s opening goal nine minutes before halftime. Toney’s penalty restored parity briefly but Tielemans restored Belgium’s lead nine minutes before halftime before Jarrod Bowen’s goal was disallowed and Jude Bellingham missed an easy opportunity before Kobbie Mainoo scored late equaliser for an unlikely point finish!
Belgium are without their top scorer Kevin De Bruyne due to a groin injury, likely to be replaced by Thomas Kaminski or Jeremy Doku for their next two matches.
Belgium
Belgium are currently ranked No.4 globally and one place below England, having experienced dramatic transformation under coach Domenico Tedesco since they lost to Gareth Southgate’s England at the 2018 World Cup. Eden Hazard and Toby Alderwiereld have moved on while new talent has surfaced.
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring from 25 yards with an exquisite strike. However, Ivan Toney equalised from the penalty spot after Jude Bellingham delivered a superb cross that found Kobbie Mainoo who beat Michy Batshuayi to score and slot it past Matz Sels.
But England were just moments from taking back the lead and could have gone on to seal victory. A couple of defensive errors led to Youri Tielemans and Romelu Lukaku scoring, but plenty of positives could be taken from a lively encounter at Wembley Stadium.
Jordan Pickford’s misplaced pass led to a dangerous free-kick for Belgium, but John Stones made an outstanding tackle to prevent Axel Witsel and Declan Rice from getting through with their free kicks and corner shots respectively. Both balls were cleared from the line thanks to John’s intervention.
Injury Updates
Gareth Southgate remains confident that England will be ready for their Euro 2024 opener against Belgium in Frankfurt, as Luke Shaw continues his rehabilitation and could return in time for Denmark’s match later in Group C. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has missed multiple training sessions but should make it back fit before leaving on his journey to Germany; Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson should also travel and could feature while West Ham defender Sam Johnstone only would play at Wembley due to a knee issue.
Domenico Tedesco of Belgium has run out of defensive options ahead of this tournament with Thomas Meunier having suffered an injury against Luxembourg last week and Jan Vertonghen and Arthur Theate experiencing groin issues. Axel Witsel also pulled out of training on Friday due to a mysterious illness, leaving their back four looking vulnerable ahead of Monday’s Group E opener against Slovakia in Frankfurt.
Belgium will benefit from having full-backs Arne Engels and Mandela Keita from the Under-21 squad available for their opening game against Argentina at Wembley Stadium, alongside youngster Jakob Hauchel and Gabriel Mec as a precaution, but both are unlikely to feature due to shoulder issues; also Burnley goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who may or may not feature due to shoulder pain is unlikely to make an appearance at Wembley.
Lineups
Gareth Southgate of England has selected a 25-man squad for its two friendly internationals on November 6 and 7, including first call-ups of Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and Newcastle United striker Anthony Gordon, as well as Ivan Toney following his ban completion; Manchester City defender John Stones, Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell and Harry Kane all return from injury but do not feature.
Belgium were held to a goalless draw by the Republic of Ireland on Saturday and will look to add some flair and drama in midweek against England. Talisman Kevin De Bruyne remains absent, while Romelu Lukaku should start after passing a late fitness test.
Tedesco has seen his Red Devils score in 10 of 11 matches under him, and they remain undefeated since their shock exit at the World Cup in Qatar. Lukaku will look to add some bite to their attack against an England side that lacked punch up front during a goalless draw with Brazil on Saturday; England are looking forward to showing their attacking form when they host continental rivals at Wembley on Tuesday in an anticipated high-octane clash where both teams should score. Sky Sports offers odds of 9/10 when placing your bets on this international friendly. Click here now & place your bets! To know more about this and want to update yourself time to time just follow us: https://sportsbyte.co.uk/