England v Belgium Preview & Prediction 10/10/2020 – Score Draw the call

09/10/2020 | Categories: Football betting | Published by: Andy Nelson

Updated: 5th February 2023

2020-21 UEFA Nations League, Group A2 preview: England v Belgium – Wembley Stadium, London – Sunday, 11 October 2020, 17:00 hrs BST

England v Belgium Preview

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England got their Nations League campaign in September to a mediocre start after a laboured win of 1-0 over Iceland and a 0-0 draw with Denmark in their two opening fixtures of Group A2.

They now face their most acid test when face Group topper and FIFA World No.1 side Belgium at the Wembley on Monday.

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The big blow for England will be the absence of in-form Man City forward Raheem Sterling out for both forthcoming internationals owing to injury.

Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate has handed first call-ups to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Harvey Barnes, as well as defensive duo Reece James and Bukayo Saka.

The Belgians have been in the kind of form that has made them the top side of international football. Asides from winning all their previous six outings, Roberto Matinez's men have hammered in 28 goals and let in just 3 from those games.

They romped through both their Group A2 fixtures with a 0-2 win over Denmark and a 5-1 thrashing of Iceland.

As far as fitness issues are concerned, Thorgan Hazard has been sidelined after sustaining an injury while playing for his club Borussia Dortmund.

But Martinez has included Eden Hazard who has struggled for playing time for Real Madrid of late with an ankle injury. So, he could be doubtful to start for Sunday's Wembley clash.

Martinez has kept out Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelo Lukaku, Thomas Meunier, Toby Alderweireld, Axel Witsel and Youri Tielemans from the training session on Wednesday just to keep them fresh for the England and Iceland fixtures.

Southgate’s tactics against Denmark came under fire, with the England coach deploying two defensive midfielders in a a three-man defensive formation, which raised eyebrows against a team that didn't exactly boast a world-class attack.

His overcautious approach would perhaps be more fitting for Belgium, who will have likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens in their attacking ranks.

In the absence of Sterling, the Three Lions will heavily bank on Harry Kane to give them goals.

The Tottenham striker netted in six successive Euro 2020 qualifiers prior to September’s Nations League matches and will be desperate to renew his clinical streak in the forthcoming fixtures against Belgium and Denmark.

The October 11 rivals look evenly matched with Belgium having a slight edge courtesy their phenomenal international winning streak but the Three Lions wouldn't want a similar victory streak to end at the Wembley on Sunday.

Hence one can expect a close contest with the verdict settling for a 2-2 draw.