France vs Belgium Prediction, Predicted Lineups & Team News | UEFA Nations League

France host Belgium at the Stade de France on Monday, one week after winning 1-0 in Brussels, with both sides missing important players through suspension. Our France vs Belgium prediction favors another narrow France win, with Belgium without Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans and France still relying more on control than attacking volume under Zinedine Zidane.

France lead Group A1 by one point after taking seven from their first three matches. Dayot Upamecano is suspended after his red card against Italy, while Belgium lose the two midfielders most responsible for progressing possession and creating chances.

When & Where to Watch (USA)

Monday, Oct. 5 at 8:45 PM CEST / 2:45 PM ET / 11:45 AM PT

Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis

• English: FOX Sports (channel to be confirmed)
• Spanish: ViX
• Streaming: Fubo

France vs Belgium Lineups & Injury News

France vs Belgium Confirmed Lineups

France confirmed starting XI (4-3-3): Guillaume Restes; Jules Kounde, Leny Yoro, Maxence Lacroix, Andy Diouf; Eduardo Camavinga, Manu Kone, Maghnes Akliouche; Ousmane Dembele, Esteban Lepaul, Bradley Barcola

Belgium confirmed starting XI (4-2-3-1): Maarten Vandevoordt; Timothy Castagne, Brandon Mechele, Nathan Ngoy, Joaquin Seys; Nicolas Raskin, Romeo Lavia, Hans Vanaken; Dodi Lukebakio, Romelu Lukaku, Diego Moreira

For the latest availability across Europe, see RotoWire's soccer injury report.

France Team News & Injuries

Upamecano is suspended. He was booked in the 73rd minute against Italy and shown a second yellow for a foul on Moise Kean in the 85th, and he left Clairefontaine on Saturday morning to go back to Bayern Munich. No replacement had been called up as of Saturday.

That takes another centre-back out of a squad that was already short of them. Ibrahima Konate went home with a knee injury before the window's first game and William Saliba isn't in the squad, so Zidane is choosing from Jeremy Jacquet, Maxence Lacroix, Leny Yoro and Pierre Kalulu. Jacquet and Kalulu started on Friday, and Lacroix started both of the first two games.

Kylian Mbappe is still out with the knee injury he suffered scoring the winner in Turkiye, with a return targeted for Real Madrid's game against Villarreal on Oct. 10.

The rest of the selection is hard to call, because Zidane has changed his XI heavily between games. He made nine changes for Brussels and six more for Italy. Lucas Da Cunha's loose touch led to Alessandro Bastoni's equaliser on Friday, and Eduardo Camavinga came off the bench for the last quarter of an hour, so midfield is the likeliest place for a change. Dembele has worn the armband in Mbappe's absence but wasn't at his best against Italy and is expected to start on the bench.

Belgium Team News & Injuries

Belgium lose their midfield. De Bruyne was booked for kicking the ball away after the whistle in the 80th minute against Turkiye, and Tielemans had been booked on the half-hour. Both were also cautioned in Brussels, and two yellows in this competition mean a one-match ban. Mark van Bommel said afterwards that De Bruyne "was frustrated after losing the ball and didn't think it was his second yellow."

Hans Vanaken is the only one of Friday's three central midfielders still available. Van Bommel has described his choice as one between control and aggression: the De Bruyne, Tielemans and Vanaken trio gave him "more stability and control," while Nicolas Raskin, Romeo Lavia and Mandela Keita offer "more balance and aggression." Lavia started on the bench on Friday and is the likeliest to come in.

Further forward, Diego Moreira is available again after serving a suspension against Turkiye. Dodi Lukebakio started in his place on the right and assisted De Bruyne's opener, so Van Bommel has a decision there too. Romelu Lukaku scored off the bench on Friday, and Van Bommel has said he "must get minutes," but Charles De Ketelaere has started all three games.

Thibaut Courtois is still sitting out the window by agreement, Jeremy Doku is injured and Leandro Trossard is carrying a heel problem. Senne Lammens keeps the gloves.

France vs Belgium Head-to-Head Record

France have won the last six meetings, and four of those six were 1-0 or 2-1. Last week's win in Brussels levelled the all-time series at 30 wins each, with 19 draws, so a France win on Monday would put them ahead for the first time.

Belgium's last win in the fixture came at this ground, 4-3 in a June 2015 friendly.

France vs Belgium Tactical Analysis

France's 4-3-3 has looked the same in all three games: plenty of the ball and not many goals. Against Italy they had more than 65 percent of possession and needed an Olise free kick to break through, while Gianluigi Donnarumma made six saves. Olise has scored or set up every one of their goals in this group.

Dembele played through the middle against Italy, with Olise right and Doue left. None of them is an orthodox centre-forward who runs in behind, so France tend to pass around a block rather than stretch it. That's how it went for most of the night in Brussels, until Olise came off the bench and scored in the 88th minute. For the revenge, Lepaul could get another chance as a real number nine and combine with Barcola and Olise on the wings.

Belgium's problem is what happens to their own possession without De Bruyne and Tielemans. Van Bommel's side were sloppy on the ball against Turkiye, who outshot them 22 to 17, and he called it "often a ping-pong match." A Raskin and Lavia midfield is more combative and less creative, which could make Belgium harder to play through but leaves Vanaken and De Ketelaere to supply the forwards.

France vs Belgium Key Matchups

Michael Olise vs Maxim De Cuyper

Olise has been France's best player in this window, with an assist in Turkiye, the winner in Brussels and the free kick against Italy. De Cuyper is the one defender guaranteed to see a lot of him.

Hans Vanaken vs Manu Kone

Vanaken is Belgium's only remaining source of control in midfield, and Kone is France's most in-form holding midfielder this season. Whoever wins the middle of the pitch decides whether Belgium can keep the ball at all.

Jeremy Jacquet and Maxence Lacroix vs Mika Godts

Godts scored in Rome and has started every game. With Upamecano gone, France's likely centre-back pairing has one start together, in Brussels, and Godts is the Belgian most likely to run at it.

France vs Belgium Odds

France are much shorter than they were in Brussels, where they were around -115, now that Belgium are without De Bruyne and Tielemans.

FanDuel hadn't posted this game when we checked on Saturday.

Odds from OddsJam. For more markets, see RotoWire's soccer betting page and the best sportsbook promos.

France vs Belgium Prediction

France have controlled possession in all three group matches without turning that dominance into many goals. Olise remains their most reliable source of end product, while the lack of an experienced and natural center-forward continues to make sustained chance creation difficult. Could Lepaul step up against the Red Devils if he starts?

Belgium's suspensions should make that problem easier to manage. De Bruyne and Tielemans are their two best midfield progressors, and without them Van Bommel is likely to use a more physical midfield built around Raskin, Lavia and Vanaken.

That should make Belgium harder to play through but less dangerous with the ball. Godts and Lukebakio can still threaten a reshuffled France back line, but the hosts should have more control and more individual quality in the final third.

Another low-scoring France win is the most likely outcome.

Score Prediction: France 1-0 Belgium

France and Belgium Upcoming Fixtures

France visit Italy on Nov. 12 and host Turkiye on Nov. 15. Belgium visit Turkiye on Nov. 12 and host Italy on Nov. 15.

For squad news and injury updates through the international window, see RotoWire's soccer news feed and injury report.