Belgium vs Spain
International Friendly.
Date: Thursday; 2-September-2016
Kick-off: 01:45 GMT +7
Venue: King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels.
Both Spain and Belgium begin new eras under new managers when they meet
in an international friendly on Thursday. Our free betting predictions
suggest that Belgium will get the win on Thursday.
Reason For Betting Tips
Belgium
failed to live up to expectations in the summer as they crashed out of
Euro 2016 in the quarter finals after they succumbed to a fantastic
performance from underdogs Wales. This came after a struggle in the
opening game of the tournament against Italy and a narrow win over
Sweden.
They did perform excellently against Republic of Ireland
and Hungary though, which hinted at them going further than they did
with all the talents at their disposal. However, it wasn’t to be for the
star studded team, and now their attentions turn towards World Cup
qualification.
New manager Roberto Martinez and his assistant
manager Thierry Henry will face the likes of Cyprus, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Estonia, Gibraltar and Greece in their World Cup qualifiers. This
makes this friendly against Spain their toughest test by far of their
organised fixtures.
Spain have also acquired a new manager after Vincente del Bosque
retired in the summer. An ageing golden generation failed to retain
their European Championship crown in France as they fell to Italy in the
first knockout round. They struggled to break down Czech Republic in
their opening group game and lost to Croatia in their final group match.
It’s
the end of an era for Spain. Andres Iniesta has no place in the squad
after picking up an injury, and we may well never see him play for Spain
again. Iker Casillas has also been dropped by Julen Lopetegui, as has
Cesc Fabregas and Pedro. This has made room for Diego Costa and Juan
Mata to return to the squad. Youngster Saul Niguez will be hoping to
make his first appearance as well.
Whether Julen Lopetegui will
decide to bring a new style of play to the Spain team remains to be
seen, but it’s quite likely considering their struggles in France. The
more organised outfits had no trouble in keeping the slow paced
attacking play of Spain at bay, and it looks like the time for that
particular style has come to an end.
A new setup will take time to
implement though, so I think Belgium have the advantage here. They have
a squad full of talent and youth, and the talisman Eden Hazard is in
fine form so far this season. This, along with their home advantage,
makes odds of 1.900 for a Belgium 0.0 Asian Handicap Win look excellent
value for money, so I’m backing that along with a 2-1 correct score
prediction at 9/1.
Head To Head
Spain have won six, drawn two, and lost three of their 11 matches against Belgium, but the last meeting was in 2009.
Stats
Belgium have won 83% and lost 0% of their last 12 home matches, with their last home defeat coming against Japan in 2013.
Team News
It's
much of the same for Belgium, with all the big guns, including Thibaut
Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku
and Michy Batshuayi among the inclusions in the squad. Marouane
Fellaini has been dropped though. Thorgan Hazard and Steven Defour have
been recalled, whilst defender Christian Kabasele is hoping to win his
first cap.
Iker
Casillas, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro have all been left out of new
manager's Julen Lopetegui's first squad. Juan Mata and Diego Costa have
both earned recalls to the squad though, as has Paco Alcacer. Youngster
Saul Niguez will also be hoping to win his first cap, whilst Andres
Iniesta is out with a bruised knee and has also hinted at retirement.
