Munich is the host city for the highly anticipated quarterfinal encounter between Belgium and Italy. The Red Devils are hoping to get into the last eight stages for successive campaigns while a win for Azzurri will place them into their fourth consecutive quarterfinal in the competition. Switzerland or Spain awaits them in the next round.
Belgium knocked away holders Portugal in the round of 16 through a sensational strike from Thorgan Hazard, the only goal of the game. Thibaut Courtois rose to the big occasion again, saving a couple of goal-bound efforts from the Portuguese attack. Raphael Guerreiro struck the post in the quest for an equalizer that never came. At this point, Belgium were happy to defend in numbers and hit on the break as they saw out the result. The only bad news from that important win was Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard limping off the pitch. Roberto Martinez's side faces a stiff challenge next before they can start dreaming about the semifinals.
Italy went past the group stage comfortably with their revolutionary attacking play but did jostle with Austria in the last 16 stages. Franco Foda gave the Italians a real taste of the competition in a brave display forcing them to extra time with minimum chances. Although Roberto Manchini's substitution worked well with both Chiesa and Pesina scoring within a few minutes in the first half of the extra time. Sasa Kalajdzic made things interesting deep into the second half with his header but it was too little too late. It was the first goal they conceded in this competition. Manchini is knowingly doing some homework to get it right against a very elegant opposition.
Belgium vs Italy Match Details :
When: Friday, July 2nd/ Saturday, July 3rd
Timings: 00:30 (IST)/ 21:00 (CET)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Recent Form (Euro 2020) :
Belgium: WWWW
Italy: WWWW
BEL vs ITA Dream11 Team News :
Injuries & Suspensions :
Kevin De Bruyne (ankle) and Eden Hazard (muscle) missed the training ahead of the Italy game and both are out of contention. This is a hammer blow for Belgium as they only came back to match fitness two games before. The rest of the 24 men are in action. Yannick Carrasco is set to return as a starter in their absence along with Dries Mertens on the wings. Thomas Vermaelen continues to be the part of the back there earning the trust of his manager and contributing massively. Only Simon Mignolet withdraw from the squad due to a knee injury last week so Thomas Kaminski joins instead.
Manchini is delighted to get Giorgio Chiellini back in the fold and he walks straight into the eleven. He returned to training with the squad after doing it individually last week. That means Francesco Acerbi returns to the bench despite playing well against Austria. Alessandro Florenzi was doing gym work all this period but has returned to training. Di Lorenzo will start at right-back anyway. One change from the victory could be Federico Chiesa earning a start after his opening goal in extra time, replacing Domenico Berardi.
Marco Verratti will start ahead of Manuel Locatelli once again despite questions over his match fitness.
Belgium vs Italy Predicted Lineups :
Belgium: Thibaut Courtois; Toby Alderweireld, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen, Thorgan Hazard, Axel Witsel, Youri Tielemans, Thomas Meunier, Dries Mertens, Romelu Lukaku, Yannick Carrasco
Italy: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Spinazzola, Nicolo Barella, Jorginho, Marco Verratti, Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne
Belgium vs Italy Head to Head :
Italy outsmarted Belgium in a 2-0 scoreline in the 2016 European Championship group stage at Lyon and both haven't played each other since. In a total of 22 games, Italy emerged victorious 14 times while Belgium only managed 4 wins. The Red Devils have also failed to beat the Azzurri's in a major competition.
BEL vs ITA Dream11 Team Prediction :
GK: Thibaut Courtois (Bel)
DEF: Thomas Meunier (Bel), Giorgio Chellini (Ita), Jan Vertonghen (Bel), Leonardo Spinazzola (Ita)
MID: Federico Chiesa (Ita), Axel Witsel (Bel), Marco Verratti (Ita), Thorgan Hazard (Bel)
FW: Ciro Immobile (Ita), Romelu Lukaku (Bel)
Donarrumma didn't have to do much all competition with his fort compromised only once. But Thibaut Courtois continued brilliance on the big stage puts him ahead of him for the goalkeeping option in fantasy teams. The team is slightly tilted towards Belgium and rightly so considering their immensely talented squad. Chiellini's return is a major boost for Italy and the veteran's leadership is a great factor for them. Spinazolla's sizzling runs from the left are always a joy to watch and his assists too. Federico Chiesa's super-sub appearance led the foundation for Italy's win over Austria and he gets in straightaway. Thorgan Hazard goal made the difference for Belgium and his creativity from the left has been decisive. Ciro Immobile (2 goals) and Romelu Lukaku (3 goals) are eyeing the top scorer prize and only one will be in contention at the end moving into the semifinals.
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