Belgium v Italy preview: Van Bommel’s side must beat Mancini’s leaders in Brussels to reach the last eight
Belgium v Italy in Brussels is winner-takes-all for the hosts: Mark van Bommel's side need victory to reach the Nations League quarter-finals, while Italy need only a draw.
Belgium v Italy in Brussels tonight is simple for the hosts: win and they are in the Nations League quarter-finals, fail and they are out.
Kick-off at the King Baudouin Stadium is 7.45pm UK time on Sunday, with Norway’s Espen Eskås refereeing. It is the last round of League A, Group A1, and the top two go through.
Belgium v Italy: the permutations
Roberto Mancini’s Italy lead the group on 10 points, ahead of France on head-to-head. Belgium are one point behind on nine, so a draw is no use to Mark van Bommel’s side.
A Belgian win guarantees qualification, and would even send them top unless France beat Türkiye in Bordeaux. For Italy, a draw is enough to go through and a win clinches first place. Defeat would knock the Azzurri out, unless France also lose.
The other half of the equation is covered in our France v Türkiye preview, with both games kicking off at the same time.
Both sides arrive in form
Belgium came from behind to win 2-1 in Izmir on Thursday, with Kevin De Bruyne and Charles De Ketelaere scoring before the break after Arda Güler had put Türkiye ahead. It kept alive a campaign that has swung between wins and defeats since Van Bommel took charge.
Italy were even more impressive, beating France 3-1 at San Siro. Davide Frattesi was on the scoresheet and Francesco Pio Esposito converted a penalty as Mancini’s men moved top. It built on the 1-1 draw away to France earlier in the campaign, a meeting we previewed in France v Italy: Zidane faces his old rivals.
Team news
Belgium are again without Thibaut Courtois, who is reported to be taking a break from international duty. Romelu Lukaku is short of full fitness, while Romeo Lavia is available after serving a suspension against Türkiye, though Nicolas Raskin may keep his place.
Italy have lost Frattesi, whose goal helped sink France, and were already without Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Giacomo Raspadori, Moise Kean and Nicolò Zaniolo. Marco Palestra is back in contention at right-back, and Gianluigi Donnarumma continues in goal.
Key numbers
| Belgium | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Group position | 3rd | 1st |
| Points | 9 | 10 |
| Record (W-D-L) | 3-0-2 | 3-1-1 |
| Goal difference | +2 | +5 |
| Last meeting | Italy 0-2 Belgium (September 2026) | |
Belgium hold the recent edge
Van Bommel’s reign began with a 2-0 win in Rome on the opening night of this campaign, before a home meeting with Türkiye soon after. Before that, though, Italy had the upper hand, winning 1-0 in Brussels in November 2024 and knocking Belgium out of Euro 2020 at the quarter-final stage.
Beyond Europe, the football calendar is filling up fast. Our sister site DGBN reports that the CAF Awards have been brought forward to 2 December in Lagos.
