TURIN's Allianz Stadium will be the battleground as Belgium and France contest the second of this week's Nations league semi-finals.
Both teams have plenty to prove after underwhelming efforts at Euro 2020, with Belgium bowing out in the last-eight, while pre-tournament favourites France suffered a shock round of 16 penalty-shootout defeat to Switzerland.
However, Roberto Martinez's men do not appear to be suffering any lingering hangover from their quarter-final elimination to eventual-winners Italy.
The Red Devils have recorded a trio of World Cup qualification victories since this year's summer showpiece, the most recent of which was a resounding 3-0 win over Czech Republic.
France, on the other hand, have had an indifferent record since they were sent packing by the Swiss in what was arguably the biggest upset of Euro 2020.
Didier Deschamps' side played out a pair of 1-1 draws with both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine before banking a much-needed three points against Finland last time out.
Outright Betting
The bookies are finding it hard to separate the teams with Belgium the slight outsiders at 39/19 (SBK) while the draw inside 90 minutes has been chalked up at 11/5 (SNK) with the same firm.
Despite winning just one of their last six matches, France head into this fixture as narrow 48/29 favourites at SBK.
Betting Angles
Given the plethora of attacking talent that will be on show during his semi-final showdown, I'm pleasantly surprised to be able to back both teams to score at even-money (1/1) with SBK.
Goals have been a recurring theme of Belgium matches in recent years, with Martinez's men making the net bulge in each of their last 38 international assignments.
There is no doubt that Belgium boast one of the best groups of players on the planet but their ageing defence perhaps represents their Achilles heel.
Belgium's backline has been breached in 10 of their last 19 outings, with minnows Estonia bagging a brace against the Red Devils during the last month's international break.
Sure, the French are famed for their pragmatism under Didier Deschamps' stewardship, but the reigning world champions have let their defensive standards slip since conquering the globe just over three years ago.
France's recent shutout in their 2-0 win over Finland was the first clean sheet that Les Bleus have bagged in their last six outings across all competitions.
In fact, both teams have obliged in five of France's last six games, a sample includes competitive contests with the aforementioned Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine, as well as Hungary at Euro 2020.
Given that neither defence is watertight and each side is stacked in attack, backing both teams to score at even-money (SBK) looks like an appetising play in Turin on Thursday night.
This UEFA Nations League match between Belgium and France will be played on Oct 7, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Belgium vs France prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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