Belgium hosts Wales in round 1 of the World Cup Qualification. The match will be played on Wednesday, March 24th at King Baudouin Stadium (Brussels)
Belgium is rightfully considered one of the strongest teams in Europe and the world. Under the management of Roberto Martinez, the Red Devils have finally begun to unlock their potential. The breakthrough was the 2018 World Cup, where the national team managed to beat Brazil and take 3rd place (the maximum in its history). And after that, the Belgians did not lose their level. They very easily won their group in the qualification for Euro and won the Nations League in 2020, having scored five points more than England and Denmark. Yes, now the coaching staff cannot count on Eden Hazard, as he, like Witsel, is injured. However, the national team has become accustomed to playing without its captain in recent years. Moreover, there are enough stars, from Courtois between the sticks to the incredible De Bruyne in the midfield and Mertens at the helm (Lukaku will be questionable to the last).
The national team of Wales was entrusted to Ryan Giggs. And the legend achieved good results, even though his charges didn’t show a brilliant game. The team that missed the 2018 World Cup was able to make it to the Euro. Beyond that, the Welsh won their group in the Nations League and guaranteed themselves promotion to a higher division. But in November last year, the ex-Manchester United winger was arrested on charges of assaulting his girlfriend, a certain Kate Greville. And while the investigation lasts, Giggs was sent on a kind of "special leave", and his duties will be performed by Robert Page. On the other hand, Gareth Bale had just gotten into shape by the spring. Let’s recall that he rarely took the field at Real Madrid and did not shine at Tottenham for a long time. All the main stars of Wales are ready to play (Hennessy, Gunther, Ben Davis, Ramsey, Allen, and Robson-Kanu). But the first opponent in the qualification is extremely strong.
There were 11 head-to-head matches in total, and each team won four times. But the Welsh won the last two games, including the comeback 3-1 victory in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals. Belgium should remember that failure well, as half of the current regular lineup has already played. It's time to take revenge, so we bet on the victory of the Red Devils with a handicap of -1.5.
Prediction for the match: Belgium to win with -1.5 handicap
