Belgium vs Wales: betting tips, team news, preview and predictions
Belgium will be seeking some revenge against Wales when they kick off their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign at Den Dreef in Leuven on Wednesday evening.
The Red Devils are ranked number one in the world, but they have famously failed to beat Group E opponents Wales in recent encounters.
Belgium are coming off a memorable 2020, when they lost just one of the eight games they played all year.
Wales, on the other hand, are not fancied to top their group but are expected to finish runners-up and progress to the qualifying play-offs.
Match facts:
- Belgium are top of the Fifa world rankings, while Wales are 18th – but Wales are unbeaten in the four most recent encounters between the teams.
- Belgium have been unable to win each of their last four games against Belgium (D2 L2), failing to score in two of those fixtures.
- Wales have kept a clean sheet in six of their last eight matches across all competitions, only conceding four goals in this run.
- Belgium have found the back of the net in each of their last 23 games in all competitions since falling to a 1-0 defeat to France in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final.
- Wales have not been beaten in any of their last 11 competitive fixtures.
- In six previous meetings in World Cup qualifiers, Wales have beaten Belgium just once.
- Belgium have won 23 of their past 24 qualifying matches.
- Belgium are unbeaten in 24 since, winning 18 and drawing six and scoring 87 goals.
- Wales have only lost four of their past 30 qualifying matches for the European Championships or World Cup (15 wins, 11 draws), winning their past two games.
The highest profile of those recent meetings between these sides came at the quarter-final stage of Euro 2016, a game which Wales won 3-1 to stun the watching world.
Wales have a great recent record against Belgium and enter this game unbeaten in 11 competitive matches since June 2019.
This is not as straightforward a game as Belgium might have envisioned this time last year. Wales have a fine recent record against the Red Devils.
The Red Devils will be eager to get their latest qualifying campaign off to a winning start.
Backing Belgium to win and both teams to score looks a solid option here. Belgium have scored exactly two goals in three of their last four matches and won two of those 2-1.
Our prediction: Belgium to win @ 1.88
