Belgium vs Ukraine Predictions & Tips – Belgium to Bounce Back in the Nations League

Vedran Ostojic

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Last updated: 21 Mar 2025

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Vedran Ostojic 21 Mar 2025

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Ukraine claimed a 3-1 victory in the first leg last week
Belgium are tipped back to bounce back in front of their crowd
Check our full match preview for Belgium vs Ukraine below

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Ukraine won the first tie 3-1 (Getty)

Belgium vs Ukraine Preview

The Red Devils have so many experienced players and rising stars on their lineup and I expect them to do better in Rudy Garcia’s first appearance in front of the home crowd. Home win is the best bet in Genk.

Belgium vs Ukraine Preview
Stats
HTH
Belgium Form
Ukraine Form
Team News
Predicted Starting Lineups

Stats

Belgium have won 8 of their last 12 home matches (UNL).
Belgium have seen over 2.5 goals in 8 of their last 10 home matches (UNL).
Ukraine have lost 6 of their last 10 away matches (UNL).
Ukraine have seen over 2.5 goals in 4 of their last 5 away matches.

HTH

This is going to be the third head to head match between Belgium and Ukraine.

The first one was a goalless draw in EURO 2024, while last week’s first leg was won by Ukraine 3-1.

Belgium Form

Belgium narrowly avoided direct relegation to UEFA Nations League B, finishing 3rd in Group 2 with just four points, behind France and Italy but ahead of Israel.

They had a decent run in October, holding Italy to a 2-2 draw before losing 2-1 to France but their campaign ended with two more defeats in November.

First, they lost 1-0 at home to Italy, then suffered another 1-0 loss against Israel at a neutral venue, despite having 70% possession, a 12-10 shot advantage, and expected goals of 0.83-0.85. As a consequence, Domenico Tedesco was replaced with Rudy Garcia as the Belgian national coach.

Garcia’s debut was a disaster, losing 3-1 to Ukraine last week on a neutral pitch in Spain. They were ahead at half-time, Romelu Lukaku scoring in the 40th minute but conceded three unanswered goals later.

Ukraine Form

Ukraine played in UEFA Nations League B last season, finishing 2nd in Group 1 with eight points from six games, behind the Czech Republic, ahead of Georgia and Albania.

They secured a 1-0 win over Georgia in mid-October, with Mykhailo Mudryk scoring the only goal. This was followed by back-to-back 1-1 draws against the Czech Republic and Georgia.

Ukraine confirmed their 2nd-place finish with a 2-1 away victory against Albania on November 19, as Oleksandr Zinchenko and Roman Yaremchuk both scored inside the opening ten minutes.

The Blue and Yellows defeated Belgium 3-1 in the first tie last week, Oleksey Hutsuliak, Vladyslav Vanat and Illia Zabarnyi finding the net in the second half. It was a well-deserved victory with 2.82-0.59 expected goals and 12-8 shots.

Team News

Amadou Onana and Romeo Lavia are injured for the Red Devils, while Orel Mangala, Lois Openda and Johan Bakayoko were not called up. Romelu Lukaku has the most appearances for Belgium on this roster (121) while also being the top scorer with 86 goals.

Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk is suspended while Oleksandr Pikhalyonok is injured. Ruslan Malinovskyi and Sergiy Sydorchuk were not called up. Andriy Yarmolenko has 124 appearances for Ukraine so far and scored 46 goals.

Predicted Starting Lineups

Belgium: Courtois, Castagne, Faes, Theate, De Cuyper, Tielemans, De Ketelaere, Lukebakio, De Bruyne, Doku, Lukaku

Ukraine: Trubin, Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Talovyerov, Mykolenko, Kaliuzhnyi, Tsyhankov, Sudakov, Zinchenko, Shaparenko, Dovbyk

Verdict

Belgium v Ukraine

Belgium have a combination of talent and experience on their roster, and I expect them to bounce back in the second tie. Both sides have a lot of scoring potential, so over 2.5 goals is also tipped in Genk.

Belgium Win

Full-Time Result

@11/20 - 3 Units

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