England vs Belgium preview, H2H, team news, key players and predictions

England will look to shake off their disappointing loss against Brazil when they welcome Belgium to Wembley Stadium in another blockbuster friendly on Wednesday.

England’s streak of a ten-match unbeaten run ended on Saturday night as a spirited Brazil side emerged victorious with teen sensation, Endrick grabbing headlines following his match-winning goal.

Gareth Southgate’s side could be tagged as “lucky” to see the scoreline slim thanks to the clearance of Kyle Walker and the heroics of Jordan Pickford between the sticks.

England began to find momentum in the game and their best chance fell to Ollie Watkins but the 22-goal Aston Villa forward blazed his effort over the bar. Ben Chilwell twice became another culprit of missed opportunities when he blasted two efforts way off target from the edge of the 18-yard box.

A poor Harry Maguire clearance gifted Rodrygo a chance but the 23-year-old struck his effort wide. England’s defence was being run ragged and this time West Ham United’s talisman, Lucas Paqueta came close to scoring only for his effort to hit the post.

The Selecao continued to threaten on the transition with another Maguire’s howler failed to be punished by Raphinha who fluffed his chance.

One of the debutants on the night, Anthony Gordon was lively all through the game, perhaps one of England’s brightest performances in the night alongside the mercurial Declan Rice.

Gordon found the target with a swift half-volley but his effort was parried away while John Stones unleashed a fierce strike as the Three Lions began to pile on the pressure.

Both sides possessed an array of teenage prodigies on the bench and the youngsters couldn’t wish for a better audition than a high-profile match in front of a stacked crowd at Wembley.

18-year-old Manchester United teen sensation, Kobbie Mainoo and 17-year-old Real Madrid-bound forward, Endrick were both introduced into the game by the two countries respectively.

Mainoo was the first to get the crowd roaring after his swift turn glanced past Brazil players despite being tightly marked. The was little the England debutant could do to point the headlines at him as Endrick ultimately stole the show when Vinicius’ effort was parried out by Pickford into his path to tap home from close range to secure a 1-0 win for Brazil.

Although England finished the game with more possession, it was a poor showing by their standards as they finished the game with only three chances on goal compared to Brazil’s five.

England bounce back

Southgate will aim for a chance at redemption when they host the 2018 World Cup second runner, Belgium- a team that sit just one rank below England in the FIFA world rankings.

Belgium played out a goalless draw against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium with the Red Devils surviving a scare after Evan Ferguson saw his penalty saved by Matt Sels.

As expected, Belgium enjoyed a large percentage of possession in the opening hour of the game but Ireland created the better chances with debutant, Sammie Szmodics guilty of fluffing an array of chances to put the Boys in Green ahead in the game.

Ireland gave Belgium a run for their money as they brushed aside the minnows tag to prove they’re up to the task and rightly so because Belgium who headed into this game as favourites, barely had a sniff at goal in the opening minutes.

John O’Shea’s side almost sent the home fans at the Aviva Stadium into ruptures in the third minute of the game when Chiedozie Ogbene was played through on goal only for his shot to hit the side-netting.

Belgium eventually settled into the game with Atletico Madrid’s midfielder, Arthur Vermeeren pulling strings in the middle of the park but the home side remained compact denying Domenico Tedesco’s side a clear-cut chance at goal.

Despite Belgium’s dominance in possession, Ireland once again came close to scoring as Dara O’Shea tried to knock down the ball into the 18-yard box only for Vermeeren to be adjudged to have handled the ball by centre-referee Rohit Saggi as he pointed to the spot.

Brighton and Hove Albion’s striker, Ferguson might have hoped to end his 20-game goal-drought when he stepped up to take the spot-kick in the 28th minute only to be denied by Sels after slipping.

One would think that O’Shea’s side will lose momentum after the lost penalty but the reverse was the case as Ireland looked even more determined to score against Belgium who were underwhelming on the day.

Ogbenene struck a right-footed shot across the face of the post just a few seconds after Ferguson’s penalty miss. The Boys in Green once again rued their chances when a long clearance from goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher was flicked behind by the impressive Ferguson. Szmodics showed strength by holding off Belgium’s full-back, Timothy Castagne to carve a shooting chance, but his effort sailed over the crossbar as Ireland ended the first half as the better side.

Belgium’s coach, Tedesco tweaked his on-pitch personnel a bit when he introduced Jérémy Doku to replace Leandro Trossard. The changes from Belgium did not stop the rampant and Impressive Ireland side as they went close to scoring when Robbie Brady’s cross was met by Ferguson who leapt above an array of Belgium’s defenders to head the ball but couldn’t keep his effort down from six yards out.

Belgium finally had an open chance through Loïs Openda in the 50th minute but Kelleher was on hand to keep the RB Leipzig striker at bay.

Tedesco’s substitution looked to pay off as Belgium gradually began to exert themselves in the game. Dodi Lukebakio broke free from the right hand side to send a brilliant cutback into the middle which was met by Thomas Meunier whose precise strike was kept away by Kelleher.

Doku carved out a half chance but blazed his effort over while Belgium’s appeal for a penalty following Openda’s collision with Kelleher was waved away by the centre-referee as the game ultimately drew to a close.

England Vs Belgium match details

Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Location: London, England

Venue: Wembley Stadium

Kick-off time:7.45 pm GMT, 19:45 UTC

Tickets: Supporters can buy Euro 2024 tickets from UEFA or through the official country associations. They can also use trusted online ticket resellers such as seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

•Belgium have emerged victorious in three of the last four competitive meetings against the Three Lions.

•England have only been defeated in three of their last 20 matches.

•England have emerged victorious in 16 of the last 25 matches played between these two sides with Belgium recording only five victories including the 2018 FIFA World Cup third-place triumph.

•Only four of the last 25 fixtures between England and Belgium have ended in a stalemate.

•2020 recorded an entertaining affair in the UEFA Nations League between these two sides where Belgium led 2:0 in the first leg with England coming from a goal down to record a 2:1 victory in the reverse fixture.

•England and Belgium have squared off four times in the FIFA World Cup with Belgium recording two wins while England’s only sole victory came in 1990 and the only draw recorded in 1954.

•1980 was the first and only time the two teams met in the European Championships. The match ended in a 1:1: draw.

•The 1:0 defeat to Brazil marked England’s first loss at home in 21 matches.

•Following his cameo against the Selecao, Mainoo became the 14th player to make his debut for the Three Lions before reaching the age of 19 since the turn of the century.

Team news

The quartet of Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Cole Palmer and Jordan Henderson did not feature in the defeat to Brazil after being allowed to train separately at St George’s Park.

Saka subsequently withdrew from the squad while Southgate has already ruled that Kane will return to Bayern Munich to continue his recovery.

It is unclear if Palmer and Henderson will recover in time to make the squad that will face Belgium.

Debuts were handed to Ezri Konsa, Jarrad Branthwaite, Gordon and Mainoo with all four players impressing. With England facing a plague of injuries, the quartet will look to stake their claim in the starting lineup against Tedesco’s side.

For Belgium, Romelu Lukaku could return to the squad after missing out on the clash against Ireland. The Belgian all-time top-scorer will still face a fitness test and will hope to be fit in time for the clash.

Tedesco could recall Meunier and Lukebakio ahead of Trossard and Timothy Castagne in the starting lineup after both players impressed in their cameos against Ireland.

Predicted starting lineup

England predicted starting lineup:

Pickford; Konsa, Stones, Maguire, Gomez; Foden, Rice, Bellingham; Bowen, Watkins, Rashford

Belgium predicted starting lineup:

Sels; Meunier, Faes, De Winter, Theate; Tielemans, Vranckx; Bakayoko, Lukebakio, Doku; Openda

Prediction

England fans and pundits alike were understandably disappointed with the performance of the Three Lions against Brazil. But playing against a five-time World Champion with an injury-depleted squad is no mean feat.

The clash against Belgium could offer Southgate a chance to tweak his tactic and pattern against a Belgium side that struggled against Ireland on Saturday.

Despite the injury concerns, England still possesses a better side in terms of quality and should make a statement win when these two sides meet on Wednesday. We’re predicting a 2-1 England win.