Matchday one of EURO 2020 qualification will serve us with an entertaining match between Belgium and Russia. The fixture will take place on March 21st at King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels. One of the best Hungarian bookmakers are offering very high odds for this game, so feel free to check it out before you place your bets.
Belgium
Belgium are currently considered one of the best national football teams in the world with numerous young talents in the squad. Belgium, who managed to finish 3rd in 2018 World Cup after a close defeat against France, who went on to win the whole thing are one of the frontrunners in the upcoming Euro 2020 and it would be highly unlikely they will fail getting there. Looking at how Belgium played in their recent fixtures in UEFA Nations League campaign, they surprisingly lost to Switzerland (5:2) in the final round of the group stage, which meant Belgium finished 2nd and did not get to advance into the playoffs. Nonetheless, Belgium won all other 3 matches against Iceland and Switzerland. Additionally, Belgium were on a 6 games undefeated run prior to the high defeat against Switzerland.
Russia
Russia did not have the best Nations League campaign behind us but at the same time, it was not all that bad. They ended up finishing 2nd in the group, where they were tied with Sweden who both had 7 points. With a 2-1-1 record, Russia managed to defeat Turkey twice but lost the last match against Sweden (2:0), which saw the dropping to 2nd place. Looking at their international performances, Russia were undefeated before losing against Germany in a friendly match (3:0) and as mentioned against Sweden in Nations League (2:0). The Russian team is well known to perform well at home and not so good in away matches which might be a problem on March 21st when they visit Belgium.
Belgium v Russia Betting Preview
Looking at the last 5 matches, Belgium defeated Scotland (4:0), Iceland (3:0), (2:0) and Switzerland (2:1), while failing to do the same against Netherlands (1:1) and Switzerland in a rematch (2:5). On the other side, Russia lost to Sweden (2:0) and Germany (0:3), drew against Sweden (0:0) and won against Czech Republic (5:1) and Turkey twice (2:1), (2:0). I have mentioned it before, Russia is a much better team when they play at home in comparison to their away games, where they won only two times in the last 7 fixtures. Their biggest issue in away games is scoring, as they managed to score in only 3 out of the last 7 away games. On the other side, we have Belgium, who are the favourites to win this one. Not only are they considered to be a better team, but Belgium also holds an impressive record at home, where they have not been defeated since September 1st, 2016 when they fell to Spain (0:2). Ever since they have won 15 and drew 4 games at home. If take all into consideration, Belgium will most likely win this one, but I do not believe they approach this game too aggressively. Against Switzerland, they conceded 5 goals, which is why I believe Belgium will approach this match a bit more cautiously just to prevent a similar result. On the other side, Russia already struggles to score a goal in away games, and with Belgium defensive approach their chances of scoring a goal are close to zero. All in all, I do not believe this match will see more than 2 goals in total.