The second quarter-final of Euro 2020 takes place at Munich’s Allianz Arena on Friday night, with Belgium and Italy meeting in a heavyweight clash.
The Italians booked their spot in the last eight following a dramatic extra-time victory over Austria last Saturday.
#Azzurri Hard at work, preparing for the quarter-final 💪⚽#VivoAzzurro #BELITA #ITA #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/f1ihCRMJVt— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) June 29, 2021
#Azzurri Hard at work, preparing for the quarter-final 💪⚽#VivoAzzurro #BELITA #ITA #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/f1ihCRMJVt
Meanwhile, Robert Martinez’s men edged out 2016 champions Portugal 1-0 thanks to a Thorgan Hazard wonder strike.
After seeing off Russia (3-0), Denmark (2-1) and Finland (2-0), Belgium finished six points clear at the top of Group B – scoring seven goals while conceding just once.
Despite seeing 42% possession and facing 23 shots in the last 16, the Red Devils managed to overcome Portugal and advance to the quarters.
It is worth remembering that in competitive tournaments, Belgium have now lost just one of their previous 30 matches.
Having netted three goals in four games at Euro 2020, Romelu Lukaku is undoubtedly Belgium’s danger man.
If Lukaku can add to his tally and Martinez’s side can keep things tight at the back, Belgium will give themselves a real chance of overcoming Italy.
On the flip side, the Azzurri also qualified from the group stage with a 100% record – getting the better of Turkey (3-0), Switzerland (3-0) and Wales (1-0).
Italy had kept 11 clean sheets heading into the last 16, yet Austria managed to put an end to that remarkable run.
Still, goals from Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina saw Roberto Mancini’s men advance to the quarter-finals at the expense of Austria.
Italy haven’t tasted defeat since September 2018 and are currently enjoying an astonishing 31-game unbeaten streak (26 wins, five draws).
Let’s not forget that Mancini’s side have also conceded just a single goal in their previous 12 encounters in all competitions.
Head-to-head: Belgium have only beaten Italy four times in 22 meetings between the two nations over the years.
The Italians have also won three of their last four matches against the Red Devils, scoring over 1.5 goals on each occasion.
Team news: Belgium will be without two key performers for Friday’s quarter-final, as Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard nurse injuries.
Giorgio Chiellini and Alessandro Florenzi are both injury doubts for Italy, although it is unclear whether or not either of them will feature on Friday.
Belgium have done well at Euro 2020 up to now, but they are likely to struggle without De Bruyne and Hazard against a resolute Italian outfit.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Italy will score over 1.5 goals and keep yet another clean sheet on their way to dispatching the Belgians.