Iceland vs. Belgium: Time, Live Stream, TV Schedule and Odds
Gianni Verschueren@ReverschPass
Featured ColumnistSeptember 11, 2018
Belgium will play their first-ever UEFA Nations League match on Tuesday, when the Red Devils visit Iceland in Group 2.
The hosts have already featured once in the tournament, taking a 6-0 beating at the hands of Switzerland. As shared by WhoScored.com, it was an ugly affair:
WhoScored.com @WhoScoredEngland's next opponents got on pretty well last night... Switzerland 🇨🇭 vs 🇮🇸 Iceland stats: Shots: 21-3 Shots on target: 9-1 Possession: 63%-37% Pass accuracy: 90%-76% Final score: 6-0 ⭐️ Star man: Denis Zakaria (9.39) Full stats and ratings -- https://t.co/VsXTrAwm8v https://t.co/niValsKPvc
Per Oddschecker, Belgium will start the match as huge 4-11 favourites, while Iceland carry odds of 8-1. A draw comes in at 7-2.
Sky Sports and ESPN will provide coverage of the match through the Sky Go Extra app and ESPN+. Kick-off will be at 7:45 p.m. BST.
Can Home Advantage Save Iceland?
Iceland conceded six goals away to Switzerland in their last outing, while Belgium warmed up with a 4-0 demolition of Scotland at Hampden Park in Glasgow. On paper, Tuesday's Nations League outing has "beatdown" written all over it, as the two sides are in decidedly different form.
Belgium finished third in the FIFA World Cup and were one or two lucky bounces away from a spot in the final after narrowly losing to eventual champions France.
The Red Devils' squad has only become stronger since, with manager Roberto Martinez calling up several new names for the friendly against Scotland. But the goals came from usual suspects Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Michy Batshuayi, who bagged a brace:
Belgium weren't at their best, but the individual quality of their players shone through, as they ruthlessly punished every mistake the Scots made.
Iceland befell a similar fate in Switzerland, and their players made many errors. They gave the Swiss all kinds of space and time to shoot, and that's something they can't afford against the Belgians.
Despite being at home, Iceland are expected to drop back and will try to hit Belgium on the counter-attack, but it's the sort of game plan many teams attempt against the Red Devils. Few teams in the world are as used to dealing with a low defensive block as the Red Devils, and Hazard and Co. have become quite adept at it.
The one major weakness the Belgians do have plays into Iceland's main strength, though. They struggle to cover set pieces and crosses, something that cost them in the World Cup semi-final, and Iceland have the size and aerial ability to take full advantage.
Prediction: Iceland 0-2 Belgium