Brussels opens its Nations League week with a familiar continental fault line: Belgium and France, neighbours divided by history and reunited by football, meet at the Stade Roi Baudouin on Monday with the early lead in Group A1 at stake. Both teams began the campaign with a win, and the 20:45 local kick-off brings France’s new era under Zinedine Zidane to one of Europe’s most testing away grounds.
Zidane’s first match in charge ended in a 1-0 victory in Turkey on Friday, but his second assignment arrives without Kylian Mbappé. The forward was injured and has returned to Madrid. Warren Zaïre-Emery is also unavailable for France. Belgium coach Mark van Bommel has absences of his own, with Leandro Trossard and goalkeeper Mike Penders ruled out.
The match will be played before a crowd approaching the 51,000 capacity of the national stadium. Serbia’s Rade Obrenović will referee, with Alen Borosak assigned to the video review room. DAZN will carry the fixture live.
De Bruyne leads Belgium, Camavinga anchors France
Belgium turn to Kevin De Bruyne for authority in midfield, alongside Roméo Lavia and Youri Tielemans. Charles De Ketelaere, Mika Godts and Diego Moreira form the attacking line, while Senne Lammens starts in goal.
France begin with Mike Maignan behind a defence featuring Maxence Lacroix, Jérémy Jacquet and Pierre Kalulu. Eduardo Camavinga takes up the central midfield role with Maghnes Akliouche and Lucas Da Cunha, while Désiré Doué, Esteban Lepaul and Bradley Barcola make up the forward unit.
- Belgium: Lammens; Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, Seys; Kevin De Bruyne, Lavia, Tielemans; Charles De Ketelaere, Mika Godts, Diego Moreira.
- France: Maignan; Diouf, Lacroix, Jacquet, Kalulu; Akliouche, Da Cunha, Camavinga; Désiré Doué, Lepaul, Barcola.
Belgium’s substitutes are De Busser, Vandevoordt, De Cuyper, De Winter, Debast, Keita, Raskin, Vanaken, Fernández-Pardo, Lukaku, Lukebakio and Openda. France can call on Butez, Restes, Truffert, Upamecano, Yoro, Cherki, Manu Koné, Rabiot, Dembélé and Olise.
For Zidane, the trip north is an immediate measure of how his France can respond when its principal forward is absent. For Van Bommel, it is a home opportunity to turn an opening victory into command of a group that has begun with little room for hesitation.
