Belgium and France meet at Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels on September 28. Both teams continue the campaign with three points and a clean sheet. Their score in the last 10 games is France 6W, Belgium 2W, and 2D.

Belgium Have Not Beaten France Since 2015

Belgium have not beaten France since a 4-3 friendly win on June 7, 2015, which could be a motivating factor for Mark van Bommel, a newly arrived coach. His competitive debut against Italy suggested a more defensive approach, with the team having just 44% possession and relying on quick counter-attacks to create chances.

Belgium are without four injured players: Jérémy Doku and Leandro Trossard on the left, Amadou Onana in midfield and goalkeeper Mike Penders. Thibaut Courtois asked to be left out of this window to manage his workload, and Alexis Saelemaekers is also unavailable.

The left wing looks particularly depleted on paper, but Mika Godts challenged that assumption against Italy, scoring from a fast break in Belgium's 2-0 victory.

Belgium predicted lineup vs France (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Raskin; Moreira, De Bruyne, Godts; De Ketelaere.

New Era of French Football with Zinedine Zidane

Zidane is taking charge of a competitive match for the first time. France's 1-0 win over Türkiye confirmed that coach Zidane will stick to his approach: dominating possession, building attacks in the opposition half, circulating the ball through short passing and keeping pressure on the defensive line. The French side had 64% possession and completed 560 passes in their opener.

France will again be without William Saliba (centre-back), Ibrahima Konaté (centre-back), Jean-Philippe Mateta (central-forward), and Warren Zaïre-Emery (central midfielder), while Aurélien Tchouaméni (defensive midfielder) is unavailable for this window.

However, the biggest concern is the absence of Kylian Mbappé, who suffered a knee injury in the 54th minute against Türkiye.

France predicted lineup vs Belgium (4-3-3): Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Lacroix, Adrien Truffert; Camavinga, Cherki, Rabiot; Olise, Dembélé, Barcola.

Belgium vs France Prediction

  • Safe tip: Both teams to score - Yes
  • Odds: 1.50 (22Bet)
  • Correct score prediction: Belgium 2-3 France
  • 22Bet Booking Code: P8AF6

Key facts

  • In the last five fixtures, Belgium scored 15 goals (3 per 90 on average)
  • France scored 8 goals in their previous five matches, averaging 1.6 goals per game

Belgium have scored in each of their last five matches. France scored in every World Cup knockout tie until the semi-final, where Spain beat them 2-0.

Kylian Mbappé, France's main goalscoring threat, is absent through injury, but the attacking trio of Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola still provides significant quality. Belgium, meanwhile, will be without Thibaut Courtois, while Mika Godts scored in their 2-0 win over Italy. With both sides possessing proven attacking options, Both Teams to Score stands out as a strong market.

Belgium vs France Prediction, Value Tip

  • Value Tip: France to win and both teams to score
  • Odds: 3.14 (22Bet)
  • 22Bet Booking Code: GHA36

France remain the stronger side on paper, but they are without both Ibrahima Konaté and William Saliba at centre-back.

Although Belgium have scored in only two of their last five meetings with France, the absence of two regular centre-backs should give them a greater chance of finding the net in this fixture.

At the other end, France have won their last five meetings with Belgium (2.4 total goals per match) and still possess considerable attacking quality despite Kylian Mbappé's absence.

Verdict: Both teams to score - Yes - Belgium 2-3 France