Italy's revival has been one of the stories of this season's UEFA Nations League and the Azzurri will be looking to keep their unbeaten run going when they face Belgium in Brussels.
Luciano Spalletti was an exciting appointment by Italy after his historic title success at Napoli but his first major tournament was a disappointment as Switzerland deservedly knocked the Italians out in the last 16 at Euro 2024.
The federation stuck by Spalletti though and it looks like being a shrewd decision, with Italy beating France home and away as part of a four-game unbeaten run that sees them top Group A2 in the Nations League.
The only points they've dropped so far were against the Belgians at home but even that 2-2 draw only came after Lorenzo Pellegrini had been red-carded in the first half with the Azzurri already 2-0 up.
The Red Devils have an Italian in their dugout, with Domenico Tedesco inheriting an ageing squad from Roberto Martinez 18 months ago. He also failed to get his team to shine at Euro 2024 and results haven't been much better in the Nations League.
Belgium's only victory so far has come at home to Israel so Tedesco desperately needs a win against homeland to show he has what it takes.
How the bookies view it: Home comforts
Despite Italy impressing so far in the Nations League, Betano make Belgium the slight favourites here at 11/8. Italy are priced at 7/4 and the draw pays 11/5.
Head to head: Italians bossing it
Italy have dominated this fixture, winning 15 of the 24 meetings and losing just four times. But the Belgians can take a little heart from the fact they won 3-1 when these teams last faced off in Brussels nine years ago.
Players to watch: Go down Lois lane
Lois Openda looks like he's ready to step out of Romelu Lukaku's shadow and take on the mantle of being Belgium's main man. The RB Leipzig forward has netted six times this term and is 12/5 at Bet365 to add to that tally.
Mateo Retegui netted from the spot in Italy's 4-1 win over Israel in their last game, bringing up a bet for Slips Tips in the process. He's already on 11 goals for the season at Atalanta so looks decent value for anytime scorer here at 15/8 with Bet365.
Probable line-ups
Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku, Malick Fofana and Joaquin Seys were called up by Belgium but had to withdraw due to injuries on Monday. Kevin De Bruyne is still out but Lukaku is back in the squad again and may start up front, with Openda shifted out wide.
Torino's Samuele Ricci is out for Italy and Spalletti has drafted in Manuel Locatelli as his replacement. Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori is still out.
Belgium: Casteels, Debast, Faes, Theate, De Cuyper, Onana, Tielemans; Trossard, Bakayoko, Lukaku, Openda.
Italy: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Buongiorno; Cambiaso, Frattesi, Barella, Tonali, Dimarco; Raspadori; Retegui.
Anything else catch the eye?
This group has provided plenty of entertainment so far, with BTTS and over 2.5 goals landing in seven of the eight matches. Both managers like to play on the front foot so this should be another good game.
Combining BTTS and over 2.5 goals pays 47/40 with Betano in a bet builder and that looks a good option based on the 2-2 draw these sides battled out earlier in the section.
Belgium won 12-0 on the corner count that night, helping to bring up both recommended bets for Slip Tips, but it had a lot to do with that early red card for Italy. The Azzurri racked up 11 corners themselves last time out against Israel so backing a lot of flag kicks could pay off here.
Bet365 price over 10.5 corners at evens for this one while the Belgians also appeal for most flag kicks at 20/21 given they have home advantage.
This UEFA Nations League match between Belgium and Italy will be played on Nov 14, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Belgium vs Italy prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
