Belgium are keen to bounce back in the UEFA Nations League when they host Turkey in a crucial Group A1 encounter on Friday evening.
The red devils are coming off a narrow 1-0 loss to France, leaving them in second place with three points ahead of this match.
Türkiye, meanwhile, are still searching for their first points of the campaign, after losing 1-0 to France in their opening fixture before suffering a heavy 4-1 home defeat to Italy.
Mark Van Bommel’s side have shown their ability to control proceedings but must turn this into a result if they are to take charge of the competitive group.
Vincenzo Montella’s side on the other hand have only managed to score one goal, conceding five in their two opening matches.
Montella acknowledged the difficulty of playing successive matches against elite League A opponents, noting that Türkiye had only recently moved up from League C.
Will the Belgians bounce back to get another vital three points here, or can Turkey finally get a point on the board? Here is our predicted outcome for the match.
What time does Belgium vs Turkey start?
The match kicks off at 9:45PM E.A.T at the Stade de Liege
Belgium vs Turkey team news
The hosts made two changes for the France match, with Joaquin Seys replacing Maxim De Cuyper at left-back and Roméo Lavia replacing Nicolas Raskin in midfield.
De Cuyper is expected to start here, with no other changes expected from the side.
Youngster Mika Godts has already scored once in this Nations League campaign and provides pace and directness, and he will lead the attacking line here.
The visitors used a back three against Italy, with Altay Bayındır in goal and Zeki Çelik, Merih Demiral and Ozan Kabak among the defensive options.
Whether Montella chooses to retain the same defensive structure remains the key question.
Arda Güler remains the obvious creative focal point, while Barış Alper Yılmaz has already scored once in the Nations League.
Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Can Uzun and Oğuz Aydın provide additional attacking options.
Belgium vs Turkey head-to-head and current form
Belgium’s performances under Van Bommel have offered plenty of encouragement despite the narrow defeat to France.
These nations have faced each other several times across European competition, with Belgium generally possessing the stronger historical record.
However, previous meetings need to be treated cautiously because both national teams have undergone substantial changes in personnel and coaching.
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Current form:
Belgium – LWLWW
Turkey – LLWLL
Belgium vs Turkey previous games
- Belgium 1-1 Turkey (June 3, 2011)
- Turkey 3-2 Belgium (September 7, 2010)
- Belgium 2-0 Turkey (October 10, 2009)
- Turkey 1-1 Belgium (September 10, 2008)
- Belgium 3-3 Turkey (May 24, 2006)
Belgium vs Turkey prediction
Belgium’s opening victory in Italy and narrow defeat against France provide a stronger recent platform than Türkiye’s two defeats. This plus the home advantage makes them the obvious choice for a straight win.
Prediction – Belgium to win – PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME HERE!