England vs Belgium prediction, odds, expert football betting tips and best bets for international friendly | Sporting News

Two top-five teams coming off disappointing results last time out will look to bounce back in their final chance to make headway before this summer’s European Championship as England host Belgium at Wembley on Tuesday.

England fell to Brazil 1-0 on Saturday thanks to an exceedingly poor performance against a struggling second-choice Selecao squad which raised alarm bells around the Three Lions. Expected to challenge for the Euro title, England looked sluggish without an injured Harry Kane, managing to put just three of its 14 shots on target.

Despite playing against a South American side at the friendly confines of London’s most iconic venue, with Brazil deploying a squad of youngsters and inexperienced fringe internationals, England generated just one “big chance” all game to Brazil’s seven, ultimately beaten on an 80th-minute goal by young Real Madrid wonderkid Endrick.

Belgium, meanwhile, played to a similarly poor 0-0 draw with Republic of Ireland, out-shot 11-9 and failing to generate a single “big chance” while Ireland logged three. The Boys in Green will consider themselves more unlucky to not come away victorious after Evan Ferguson was stymied in the first half from the penalty spot by Matz Sels.

With this being the final match of the March window, and no more international fixtures until the summer when the Euros arrive, the time is now for teams to hit the ground running, and thus a second consecutive draw performance will leave one or both of these teams grasping for answers for the next few months leading up to the showcase event.

USA: Click here to see the latest odds for England vs Belgium and bet international friendlies

England vs Belgium prediction, odds

• Moneyline lean: Draw (+260)
• Score prediction: England 1-1 Belgium

You wouldn’t expect either of these premium international sides to come away with zero goals from two international friendlies just months before the European championships, but that’s what they both face. The two teams were both poor up front last time out, and they’ll have to engineer an improvement to secure victory here.

In truth, it’s hard to see either one conjuring up a significant amount of firepower in just three days, but it will be tough to keep them entirely off the scoresheet. From a defensive perspective, both their opponents should have had more in the previous meeting, but failed to finish chances.

England may be stronger at home and deploying more regulars than the second-choice Belgium squad presents, but that didn’t help them on Saturday against Brazil, and Gareth Southgate’s poor record against top-tier sides (four wins in 25 matches against top 10 FIFA-ranked opponents) indicates another adverse result could be on the cards.

England vs Belgium match facts

• Date: Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2024
• Kickoff Time: 7:45 p.m. local (3:45 p.m. ET / 12:45 p.m. PT)
• Location: Wembley Stadium (London, England)
• Last meeting: Belgium 2-0 England (Nov. 15, 2020 | Nations League)

England vs Belgium best bet

• Pick: Under 2.5 total goals
• Odds: -130 (BetMGM)

Not only did both these sides look poor up front in their last matches on the weekend, but they’ve traditionally played low-scoring affairs in the recent past as well.

Across the last five meetings between the sides, four of them finished under the 2.5 goal mark, with only the October 2020 meeting in the UEFA Nations League group stage ending with a 2-1 final in favour of the Three Lions.

The last time they met in a friendly environment was back in 2012, and that too finished with just one goal to its name, ending 1-0 to hosts England as Danny Welbeck’s 36th minute strike the difference at Wembley. It’s hard to imagine these two sides putting on a show in this match, especially given Harry Kane’s absence due to an ankle injury, with Ivan Toney replacing him after Ollie Watkins drew a blank against Brazil.

England vs Belgium prop bet

• Pick: Romelu Lukaku anytime goal scorer
• Odds: +220 (BetMGM)

If you’re looking for a player most likely to find the back of the net in this game, it would be Belgian star Romelu Lukaku, who is likely to start after Lois Openda disappointed against Republic of Ireland.

Lukaku’s club form has slowed a bit after his hot start to the season with Roma, but he remains a strong option up front. He bagged a goal against Brighton in the Europa League Round of 16 in early March, and he’s on an exceptional run at the international level.

In Lukaku’s last nine international caps over the last calendar year, he has racked up an outrageous 15 goals. While most of that haul has come against sides like Estonia and Azerbaijan, that also includes a goal against Germany in a 3-2 victory, plus a hat-trick against Sweden in a Euro qualifier last March. In those nine matches, he’s only failed to net once, coming in a 1-0 road win at Azerbaijan, which is a tough trip to make.

If Lukaku starts, he’ll be a danger for Belgium, especially if head coach Domenico Tedesco also goes with Jeremy Doku and Johan Bakayoko in support.

England vs Belgium live stream, TV channel

This match will only be available to stream in both the United States and Canada, with the match available in Spanish on ViX in the U.S. while on DAZN in Canada.

In the UK, the match will be broadcast on terrestrial television station Channel 4, with streaming available on the network’s dedicated platforms.