Belgium vs. England - 5 players to watch out for | UEFA Nations League 2020-21
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.