Both chasing Italy in the UEFA Nations League group standings, Belgium and France meet in Brussels on Monday with the hopes of catching the Group A2 leaders.
Belgium continue the nation's decade-long trend of disappointing at major tournaments, having collected just four points from their first three group matches. While the "Golden Generation" of players has aged to the point of being mostly phased out, the next group of stars has carried that unfortunate mantle.
France, meanwhile, have been shaky since falling agonizingly short at the 2022 World Cup. They reached the semifinals of Euro 2024 but never seemed to convince supporters of their true title chances, and followed that up with defeat to Italy to begin the ensuing Nations League campaign.
Both teams could use a big victory here, especially Belgium who were beaten handily by this France side just last month in the first two fixtures of Nations League play.
MORE: A complete guide to betting on soccer in the United States
Belgium vs. France prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: France (-105)
- Score prediction: Belgium 0-2 France
France's recent slide against other top European teams has seemingly confounded the betting market, and nobody knows what to expect from Les Bleus anymore these days.
Yet there is one thing we can bank on, and that's Belgium being unable to muster up any kind of resolute performance against top sides themselves. While France have struggled recently against the likes of Italy, Spain, and Portugal, Belgium will provide little resistance unless France start seeing players sent off like Italy did a few days prior.
MORE: Prediction and best bets for Germany vs. Netherlands in UEFA Nations League play
| BetMGM (USA) | |
| Belgium win | +200 |
| Draw | +225 |
| France win | +138 |
| Both teams to score | Y: -130 N: -110 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals | O: -105 U: -135 |
| France -0.5 goals | +125 |
| Belgium +0.5 goals | -185 |
Belgium vs. France match facts
- Date: Monday, October 14, 2024
- Kickoff Time: 8:45 p.m. local (2:45 p.m. ET / 11:45 a.m. PT)
- Location: King Baudouin Stadium (Brussels, Belgium)
- Last meeting: France 2-0 Belgium (Sep. 9, 2024 | UEFA Nations League)
Belgium vs. France best bet
- Pick: Christopher Nkunku to score or assist a goal
- Odds: +125 (FanDuel)
After years of being on the outside of a loaded France squad, Christopher Nkunku has finally been called into the fold and is making good on that faith from Didier Deschamps. He was the best attacking player in a 4-1 rout against Israel a few days ago, scoring his first international goal and providing a creative boost as well, with Kylian Mbappe sidelined.
The same is true at his current club, as Nkunku is unfortunately stuck behind an in-form Nicolas Jackson but has still managed to provide service when he finds the field, scoring a goal in all four games in which he's started.
While France's defensive form has been up and down of late (more on that below), Nkunku can be relied on to give the team a lift in the final third.
Belgium vs. France prop bet
- Pick: Belgium under 0.5 total goals
- Odds: +185 (BetMGM)
France blanked both Austria and the Netherlands in a pair of drab matches to begin Euro 2024 play, performances which drew criticism of Didier Deschamps for playing too conservatively. Since then, France have swung in the opposite direction, conceding uncharacteristically silly goals in exchange for a more attacking impetus.
In the wake of those two early Euro clean sheets, France have kept just three opponents off the scoresheet — two of those are Belgium. In fact, Belgium have failed to score in three of their last four games against France, and they've been meek in all three of those performance as well, combining for just nine shots on target. While public xG data from France's 1-0 win at the 2018 World Cup is not available, Belgium have put up a measly 0.79 xG across their last two games against Les Bleus.
Don't expect anything to be different this time out, especially after Belgium looked second-best against Italy for the first 38 minutes before being given a lifeline from Lorenzo Pellegrini's first-half dismissal. Nobody besides Leandro Trossard looked remotely interested in making things happen in the attacking third.
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