Italy
BelgiumItaly host Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico in the opening round of UEFA Nations League - League A on 25 September. The teams arrive with strong recent records, although Italy have put together the more consistent sequence of victories. The hosts have won eight of their last 10 matches across competitions, while Belgium have lost only once over the same span and recorded five wins.
Italy bring the sharper recent run
Italy's only defeat in their last 10 came against Norway, with a draw against Bosnia & Herzegovina the other match they failed to win. Their most recent outing ended in a 1-0 friendly victory away to Luxembourg. Belgium were beaten 2-1 by Spain in their latest match, following a 4-1 win over the USA and a 2-2 draw with Senegal. Sandro Tonali and Mateo Retegui have been among Italy's stronger recent performers, while Hans Vanaken has stood out in Belgium's midfield.
Several notable absences on both sides
Italy will be without Federico Dimarco because of a knee injury, while Federico Chiesa, Bryan Cristante, Manuel Locatelli, Alex Meret, Leonardo Spinazzola and Andrea Cambiaso are also unavailable. Belgium have their own absences. Jeremy Doku is lacking match fitness and Leandro Trossard is injured, removing two players who had been among their stronger recent performers. Amadou Onana is also out with a knee injury, while Thibaut Courtois is unavailable due to rest.
Recent meetings have favoured Italy
Italy have won six of the last 10 meetings between the sides, with Belgium taking two and the other two ending level. The most recent encounter finished 1-0 to Italy in Belgium, Tonali scoring the only goal. That followed a 2-2 draw in Rome. Italy are unbeaten in the five most recent meetings, winning four of them, giving the hosts a strong recent record in this fixture without changing the fact that Belgium arrive with only one defeat in their last 10 matches.
Viewing options for Italy vs Belgium
In Italy, RAI 1 and RaiPlay carry the match, while Belgian viewers have RTL TVI, VTM and VTM GO among their options. In the United States, coverage is available through Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Sports 2. Sport TV2 carries the game in Portugal, with Digi Sport 2, Prima Sport 2, Digi Online and Orange TV Go among the options in Romania. Australian coverage includes beIN Sports 3 and Stan Sport, while DAZN Canada, TLN and VIVA are available in Canada.