Kick-off: 2000, 12/06/2021
Stadium: Saint Petersburg Stadium
TV: ITV
Belgium and Russia head into their Euro 2020 Group B clash as familiar foes and qualifying form certainly favours the Red Devils.
They prevailed 3-1 when these teams met in Brussels at the start of that campaign and then 4-1 in Saint Petersburg in the penultimate round of games.
We’re going for the trend to continue here, with 11/4 for Roberto Martinez’s side to win and both teams to score our first Belgium vs Russia prediction.
A Look At Belgium’s Betting Odds
Belgium justified their position at the head of the FIFA rankings by rattling off 10 consecutive victories in that qualifying group.
However, they are the only national team to top that table without winning the World Cup or European Championship, so the pressure is on to deliver a major trophy.
The Red Devils are in rude health, though, with an impressive Nations League campaign maintaining their momentum, seeing off Denmark, England and Iceland in their pool.
Their big names are mostly coming off successful club campaigns, although Kevin De Bruyne’s injury is obviously a concern, along with the form of Real Madrid ace Eden Hazard.
However, Romelu Lukaku netted 24 times in Inter’s Serie A title triumph, Youri Tielemans will be buoyed by his spectacular FA Cup winner for Leicester and Christian Benteke scored in his last four Premier League appearances for Crystal Palace.
Looking at the Belgium vs Russia odds, another obvious option is 17/10 for the high-scoring Red Devils to oblige and over 2.5 goals in the game.
A Look At Russia’s Betting Odds
Russia did not let those two defeats by Belgium rock their confidence as they won all of their other eight qualifiers, with 31 goals scored in those games and just one conceded.
A 4-0 drubbing of Scotland in Moscow shows they cannot be underestimated on home turf, having reached the 2018 World Cup quarter-finals as hosts.
It has been a different story on the road, with November’s 5-0 Nations League thrashing in Serbia and a 2-1 World Cup loss in Slovakia in March raising questions over their quality.
Much will depend on the mood of talismanic front man Artem Dzyuba, though, with the captain back in favour following off-field issues.
He scored three goals in March’s World Cup wins over Malta and Slovenia and finished the season on fire with domestic champions Zenit.
A haul of seven goals in their final three matches included four in a closing 5-1 triumph at Tambov.
With Dzyuba performing in front of his own club fans here, 18/5 for both teams to score in the first half is worth adding to our Belgium vs Russia betting tips.
Head-to-head: Russia 1-4 Belgium, Belgium 3-1 Russia, Russia 3-3 Belgium, Belgium 1-0 Russia
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