Belgium vs Ukraine prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League A/B – Relegation betting tips on match 2025-03-22 19:45.
[p]Belgium were handed a rude shock in Spain on Thursday night, as a 3-1 defeat to Ukraine in the first leg of their play-off moved them one step closer to being relegated from UEFA Nations League (UNL) A for the first time. It was a surprising debut in more ways than one for new boss Rudi Garcia, who attracted plenty of pre-game attention with some left-field selections – including a recall of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after a near two-year absence. [/p]
[p]Courtois described the loss as “a wake-up call” and it means that Belgium have won just one of their last nine games across all competitions (D2, L6) – a sequence that began with a 0-0 draw against Ukraine at Euro 2024. The Red Devils will therefore need to not only register their maiden H2H victory (D1, L1) to stay in League A, but also replicate or better their only win of that nine-game period (W 3-1 at home to Israel).[/p]
[p]Ukraine had been playing easier opposition than Belgium in 2024 by virtue of being in League B, but nonetheless carried their winning form into the first leg to extend their unbeaten run to five matches (W3, D2) ahead of this second leg in Genk. Manager Sergei Rebrov refused to get ahead of himself, effectively describing the first leg victory as worthless if they cannot convert it into a return to League A for the first time since 2020/21. [/p]
[p]Having played all of their matches on foreign soil since late 2021, the Ukrainians should have no issue combating Belgium’s home advantage here. Beating the world’s elite is not something Rebrov’s men are used to, however, with victory on Thursday their first win against a side currently ranked inside FIFA’s top ten since October 2020.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Romelu Lukaku transferred good club form across to the international scene with his first-half strike being his ninth direct goal contribution of 2025 (G5, A4). Vladyslav Vanat was also on the scoresheet, marking his fourth goal of the calendar year from seven games for Ukraine or Dynamo Kyiv.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Six of Ukraine’s last seven matches saw both teams score.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]