The second International break is upon us and the UEFA Nations League will resume shortly with top national teams in Europe going against each other in the remaining Group Stage fixtures. And in the pre-determined “Group Of Death”, i.e., 2 European Giants in Italy and Belgium will be taking on each other on Matchday 3. An otherwise fairly matched game will be imbalanced by the absence of a key figure in the Belgian side.
That absentee in question is the Midfield Maestro, Kevin De Bruyne, who is suffering from a Hamstring injury which will keep him sidelined from football for the foreseeable future. Such is the charisma, charm and excellence of the Belgian midfielder that he can by himself change the course of football matches. But not all hope is lost for Domenico Tedesco’s side, as their number 9, is in fine goalscoring form.
Romelu Lukaku has scored 3 goals and set up another four in just 4 Appearances for his new club Napoli in the Serie A. It is thanks to his performances that the Naples side found themselves top of the Serie A table currently ahead of teams like AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan.
But on facing them will be a very young yet gritty and determined Italian side. Luciano Spalletti has done a wonderful job with the Italy Men’s National Time in the limited time he has been with them. Just in their last Nations League encounter they took down possibly the strongest team in the competition on paper, France, that too at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Italy will welcome Belgium to the Stadio Olimpico after a historic win looking to maintain their stronghold at the top of their group.
A win against Belgium would almost certainly guarantee their qualification to the next round as it will be their 3rd win in as many matches in the competition since they won against Israel in their opening fixture away from home. With Italy being the rather surprise group toppers, the battle for the 2nd spot will surely be exciting between France and Belgium.
With the odds stacked highly against Belgium, can they pull off a surprise win in Rome? Or will Italy prevail yet again in the Nations League? I would go for a comfortable Italy 2-0 win. Let us know your prediction in the comments below.
