Belgium will be hoping to maintain their excellent run of form ahead of this summer's European Championship, a tournament the Red Devils are one of the favourites to win. Greece provide the opposition in Bruxelles and while they failed to qualify for the Euros, the visitors should provide Belgium with a decent test on Thursday.
Read on for our full match preview and prediction for Belgium vs Greece.
Belgium vs Greece: Best Free Betting Tips
Unbiased tips
- Prediction one: Result & Both Teams to Score – Belgium & BTTS @ 2/1
- Prediction two: Total Goals – Over 2.5 Goals @ 4/7
- Prediction three: Anytime Goalscorer – Romelu Lukaku to Score @ 4/6
All odds are subject to change but the prices shown are correct on the date of publication. Please check with your bookmakers before placing any bets.
Contents
Belgium & BTTS
Belgium are unbeaten in their last four meetings with Greece, picking up two wins and two draws, and both teams have scored in four of the pair's last five meetings in all competitions. The hosts have also won five of their last six international matches and both teams have scored in four of those fixtures, while four of Greece's last six outings have also ended with both sides getting on the scoreboard.
Over 2.5 Goals
We're expecting goals in this game even if Belgium's chief creator, Kevin De Bruyne misses out due to injury. Four of the hosts last six matches have produced over 2.5 goals, with their last outings ending in an 8-0 win over Belarus. Greece have only failed to score in one of their last six matches and even held Spain to a 1-1 draw in a recent World Cup qualifier, so you can see why we're backing goals in Thursday's clash.
Romelu Lukaku to Score
Romelu Lukaku is Belgium's highest scorer with 59 international goals and heads into this friendly on the back of a brilliant Serie A season with Inter Milan in which his team won the league title and he chipped in with 30-goals in all competitions. The 28-year-old could be viewing the upcoming Euros as a chance to prove himself on the international stage, especially as it is rumoured that a number of Premier League clubs are interested in signing him.
All the stats ahead of Belgium vs Greece
Can Greece maintain their unbeaten run against the top-ranked team in the world?
Belgium will be hoping to pick up from where they left off against Belarus last time out but understand that Greece will provide a much tougher opposition. All of Belgium's key players have made Roberto Martinez's squad ahead of the Euros, with just a couple of familiar names missing out. Liverpool's Origi and Real Sociedad's Januzaj will be disappointed not to be going to this summer's tournament but understand that you have to be playing at the top of your game to make it into the No.1 ranked squad. Vice-captain De Bruyne is in the Belgium team despite suffering a nasty injury during the Champions League final and he now faces a race against time to be fit for the Euros, which means he won't feature against Greece and that could affect how many goals the hosts will score.
Despite ending the Eredivisie campaign as the top goalscorer, there is no room for Giorgos Giankoumakis in this Greece team. Giakoumakis scored 28 league goals for VVV who still ended up getting relegated and the striker is being linked with a move to Premier League sides Norwich and Southampton. Stafylidis, Siovas, Fortounis, and Limnios also missed out on selection for the games against Belgium and Norway. Greece don't have a lot of experience in their side with just four players aged 30 or older and the highest capped player in the squad being Giorgos Tzavellas who has played 38 times for his country. The visitors boast five players aged 23 or under and two uncapped defenders in the form of Poungouras of Panathinaikos and Saliakas of PAS Giannina.
Belgium vs Greece – Q&A
- Where can I watch this game? – Sky Sports Red Button, Sport 1 (Cze), CMore Fotboll (Swe), COSMOTE Sport, DAZN Deutsch, L'Equipe, Match! Futbol, Polsat, Sport Premium 2, Sport 2 (Hun), S Sport, TV12, and Ziggo Sport Select.
- What was the score when these sides last met? – Greece 1-2 Belgium, 3/9/17
- Who are the favourites to win? – Belgium are the big favourites to win
