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Belgium face-off with England in the UEFA Nations League tomorrow night in Leuven, and there’s a lot at stake. Not only will the winners likely be heading to next year’s Nations League finals, but they’ll also take plenty of momentum into next summer’s European Championship.
The last time these two sides faced off, England were able to secure a 2-1 win at Wembley despite being second-best for great swathes of the game. Belgium will be gunning for revenge here, but will they be able to gain it? Regardless of the result, this will be a fascinating, high-level clash.
With that in mind, here are five players to watch out for as Belgium take on England.
#1 Jack Grealish (England)
The name on the lips of every England fan right now is Jack Grealish. The Aston Villa captain only has three senior caps to his name, and yet despite that lack of experience, it seems almost impossible for Gareth Southgate to leave him out for tomorrow’s game.
That’s because his form at club level has been absolutely phenomenal throughout 2020-21. Grealish has made seven appearances for Villa and already has four goals and five assists to his name. No other English player right now possesses the kind of dribbling talent that the 25-year old does, and he’s already received comparisons to England legend Paul Gascoigne.
Grealish has translated his club form onto the international stage, too. He was Man of the Match for England’s 3-0 win over Wales in October and was fantastic in last week’s win over Ireland, too – assisting for Jadon Sancho’s first-half goal.
England’s last game against Belgium gave them an impressive win, but it also saw the side crying out for the kind of creativity that Grealish can offer. If he can produce against a side as highly-rated as Roberto Martinez’s, he’ll practically be punching his ticket for next summer’s European Championship.
#2 Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
Belgium’s chief marksman Romelu Lukaku had a mixed game when his side took on England in October. The first half saw the Inter Milan striker largely run riot. He won a penalty, then scored from the spot, and essentially bullied England defenders, Eric Dier and Harry Maguire, making their lives miserable.
However, the second half saw the duo – along with Kyle Walker – close ranks on Lukaku. And suddenly, the bully became the victim, and Belgium’s attack was largely blunted.
The question for this game then becomes whether England’s defense can keep Lukaku quiet again or whether the striker can make the correct adjustments to hurt them as he did in that first half.
In terms of form, it’s impossible to question him right now. Lukaku has made eight appearances for Inter during 2020-21, and he’s already got seven goals to his name – including two in the Champions League. And he’ll be hopeful of success in tomorrow’s game, given that England will be without their most experienced center-back in Maguire.
However, England fans largely still view the big man as a flat-track bully of sorts. And his performance in the second half of October’s game didn’t prove them otherwise. Lukaku will be out to stem those doubters for good this time around.
#3 Harry Kane (England)
After resting him in last week’s friendly game with Ireland, England boss Gareth Southgate will almost certainly rely on his captain Harry Kane to lead the line in tomorrow’s game. He’ll also be hoping that Kane can replicate the form he's shown for Tottenham Hotspur on the international stage once again.
Kane hasn’t scored a goal for England since November 2019’s win over Kosovo. However, for Tottenham, he’s been simply irrepressible this season. He’s played just 11 games thus far and already has eight goals and nine assists to his name.
It’s the kind of form that puts Kane on a similar level to fellow greats like Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski. However, there are still some doubters out there who believe that the Spurs man struggles when England face off with top-level opposition.
After missing England’s last match with Belgium due to a minor injury, Kane will be desperate to prove those doubters wrong tomorrow. And against a defense that doesn’t seem quite as strong as it once did – and will contain a clubmate in Toby Alderweireld – the England captain will be hopeful of making a major impact.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
Most Premier League fans would probably agree that there are few finer midfielders in world football right now than Kevin De Bruyne. The Manchester City man is capable of picking apart any defense on the planet on his day. And his pinpoint accurate delivery, shooting ability, and vision make him a unique opponent to face.
De Bruyne will probably come into tomorrow’s game with particular confidence if England boss Gareth Southgate decides to play a 3-4-3 system with two holding midfielders again. It’s the kind of system that the Manchester City man will probably relish going up against.
De Bruyne wasn’t overly effective in October’s game between the two sides, but his form has improved since then, with the Belgian registering six assists in his last four games. And with England’s weaker midfield, he’ll be hoping to be able to pull the strings throughout the match.
If De Bruyne can start to control the middle of the pitch and pick passes to Belgium’s attackers like Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens, England will be in trouble. The only question is, how can they hope to stop a player of his quality?
#5 Eric Dier (England)
With Harry Maguire suspended, Joe Gomez injured, and Conor Coady self-isolating due to COVID-19 exposure, it seems almost a given that Eric Dier will start tomorrow’s game at the heart of England’s defense. So will that be a blessing or a curse?
With 43 caps to his name, Dier is one of England’s most experienced players and he offers the kind of leadership qualities that Gareth Southgate values highly. However, the majority of the Spurs man’s caps have come as a midfielder, and he’s still learning his trade as a central defender.
Worryingly, it was Dier who gave away a penalty in England’s last game with Belgium, and he struggled against Romelu Lukaku throughout the first half. But it’s worth noting that his second-half performance was much improved – and since then, his club form has improved too.
Dier has been a colossus for Spurs in their last few games, particularly in their most recent win over West Bromwich Albion. However, Belgium – with Lukaku, Mertens, De Bruyne, and the rest – are a far more dangerous proposition. That means that England will need the Spurs man to be at his absolute best – no mistakes allowed – to keep them at bay.
