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Another shock for Belgium. After having eliminated the Portuguese, the Belgians will face the Italians on their Euro 2021 journey. There will be a lot of excitement around this match.
Match info, statics and live score
Before the matchBelgium vs Italy Euro 2021
Belgium (Qualified after beating Portugal)
The Belgians qualified without shining against the Portuguese. They were dominated for most of the game but were able to qualify thanks to a great shot from Thorgan Hazard. Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard were both out with injuries. They will have to do better if they hope to reach their goal and win this Euro. This is especially the case as they are not the only nation to have a team and a squad to win the competition.
Italy (Qualified after beating Austria)
The Italians suffered against Austria and had to fight until extra time. They even seemed to be dominated for a while. They too will have to do better if they want to win the Euro. They will still rely on their attacking game to defeat Roberto Martinez’s men who seemed a little feverish during their match against Portugal. Note that the Italians will not play any more home games during this Euro.
Belgium v Italy Match Analysis
Belgium: Now or never?
The golden generation of Belgians is getting older, De Bruyne is 30 years old, Eden Hazard is 30 years old and Dries Mertens is 34 years old… These players might not be around for the next Euro. This year, all these players are at their best, with the exception of Eden Hazard who seems to finally be getting back to his best.
Italy: The Azzurri’s Renaissance
The Italians were ashamed of their team after they didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup. However, they have come to have faith in them again over the past year. Italy has become a solid team defensively and effective offensively again. They haven’t lost more than 30 games, and they would like this invincibility to last at least 3 more games…
The Last Meetings between Belgium and Italy
The last time the two teams met was during Euro 2016. The match turned in favour of the Italians who won 2-0. In the end, of the eight meetings between the two teams in history, four have gone in Italy’s favour, two have ended in a draw and two have seen Belgium win.
- 13/06/2016: Belgium 0-2 Italy
- 13/11/2015: Belgium 3-1 Italy
- 30/05/2018: Italy 3-1 Belgium
Italy and Belgium’s line-up
The Italians should be able to field their first-choice team again in the next match, with Giorgio Chiellini expected to recover from injury. Federico Chiesa’s wonderful extra-time goal against Austria could see him become a team regular, but it remains to be seen whether Roberto Mancini will be willing to change his line-up to include him.
On the Belgian side, doubts surround Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard who both went off injured against Portugal. Without these two players, Belgium will be weakened and will have to find other keys to open the door to the semi-finals. At this point, neither player has been announced for the quarter-finals.
Italy’s Likely Line-up
- Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
- Defenders: Leonardo Spinazzola, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessandro Florenzi
- Midfielders: Manuel Locatelli, Jorginho, Nicolò Barella
- Forwards: Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne
Belgium’s Likely Squad
- Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois
- Defenders: Jan Vertonghen, Jason Denayer, Toby Alderweireld
- Midfielders: Youri Tielemans, Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne (?), Thomas Meunier
- Forwards: Eden Hazard (?), Romelo Lukaku, Yannick Carasco
