UEFA Nations League, League A 1ItalyITA 25/09/2026 19:45 BelgiumBEL Referee Daniel SiebertPreview for Italy v BelgiumItaly and Belgium will both begin a new era on Friday night when they meet in their opening 2026-27 UEFA Nations League fixture at the Stadio Olimpico. Roberto Mancini has returned to take charge of Italy for a second spell, while Belgium have appointed Mark van Bommel following Rudi Garcias departure. The two sides are joined by France and Turkey in League A Group 1, with all four teams set to play their first four matches over the next 11 days.Italys latest rebuilding job comes after another disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign saw them miss out on the 2026 tournament.The Azzurri finished second behind Norway in qualifying before beating Northern Ireland in the playoff semi-final, only to suffer another painful exit in the final when Bosnia-Herzegovina prevailed on penalties.That failure led to Gennaro Gattusos departure, with youth coach Silvio Baldini taking temporary charge for two post-season friendlies. Italy subsequently beat Luxembourg and Greece 1-0 before Mancini was appointed for his second spell in charge.Belgium are also entering a new era after Rudi Garcia left his position despite guiding the Red Devils to the World Cup quarter-finals, where they were narrowly beaten by eventual winners Spain.Former PSV, Wolfsburg and Antwerp boss Van Bommel has now taken charge, with his first task coming against an Italy side that have enjoyed the better of recent meetings.Belgium had been unbeaten in 18 matches before their World Cup defeat to Spain and still possess considerable experience, with Kevin De Bruyne and record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku remaining key figures.Team News for Italy v BelgiumItaly captain Gianluigi Donnarumma will lead Mancinis new-look squad after earning 83 caps for his country.The hosts will be without Alessandro Bastoni through suspension, while Federico Dimarco, Bryan Cristante and Manuel Locatelli are all unavailable because of injury.Mateo Retegui has not been selected, leaving Moise Kean, Gianluca Scamacca, Sebastiano Esposito and Pio Esposito competing for the central striker role.Belgium have also moved towards a younger squad, with Godts and Lavia among the players pushing for involvement.Youri Tielemans is expected to captain the Red Devils, while Malick Fofana and Matias Fernandez-Pardo could make their competitive debuts.Axel Witsel has retired from international football, while goalkeeper Mats Selz has stepped aside and Thibaut Courtois is taking a break from international duty.Andre Onana is absent after the long-term injury he suffered at the World Cup, while Leandro Trossard is also unavailable. Jeremy Doku, who only recently returned to action, has not been included.Expected line-ups for Italy v BelgiumItaly: Donnarumma; Kayode, Mancini, Scalvini, Calafiori; Barella, Tonali, Frattesi; Inacio, P. Esposito, RaspadoriBelgium: Lammens; Castagne, De Winter, Theate, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Lavia; Lukebakio, De Bruyne, Godts; Lukaku Official lineups are not available yet. They are usually announced 2040 minutes before kickoff, depending on the competition.Recent Form & Stats for Italy v BelgiumItaly have won four of their last five meetings with Belgium.The most recent meeting in Rome ended 2-2 in October 2024, with Italy surrendering a two-goal lead.Italy missed the 2026 World Cup after losing their qualifying playoff final to Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties.Belgium reached the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals before losing to eventual champions Spain.Belgium were unbeaten in 18 matches before their World Cup quarter-final defeat.Italy have introduced nine uncapped players in Mancinis first 34-man squad of his second spell. Recent Results : Italy Friendlies Greece GRE W 0 1 2026-06-07 Italy ITA Friendlies Luxembourg W 0 1 2026-06-03 Italy ITA Recent Results : Belgium World Cup Spain ESP L 2 1 2026-07-10 Belgium BEL World Cup USA USA W 1 4 2026-07-07 Belgium BEL World Cup New Zealand NZL W 1 5 2026-06-27 Belgium BEL World Cup Belgium BEL D 0 0 2026-06-21 Iran IRN World Cup Belgium BEL D 1 1 2026-06-15 Egypt EGY Where to Watch Italy v Belgium: TV and online streamsItaly v Belgium will be shown live in the UK on Amazon Prime Video. The match is part of Prime Videos pay-per-view coverage of Nations League matches that do not involve the UK home nations. Kick-off is at 7:45pm BST on Friday, September 25.The match can be watched online through Prime Video on a compatible smart TV, computer, mobile device, tablet, games console or streaming device.Fans in Italy can watch the match on Rai 1 and RaiPlay, with the game being broadcast live from the Stadio Olimpico.Prediction for Italy v BelgiumBoth teams are starting a new chapter, so there could be a degree of caution at the Stadio Olimpico.Italy have home advantage and a strong recent record against Belgium, but Mancini is still putting his new squad together and Van Bommel is facing his first competitive game in charge of the Red Devils.A close contest could therefore end with both sides taking a point from their opening Group 1 fixture. Match PredictionItaly 1 1 Belgium Topics Belgium National Football Team Italy National Football Team Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Belgian FA still seeking answers over Balogun World Cup incident Mitch Fretton 7th September, 2026 Matias Fernandez-Pardo set to join Newcastle from Lille for �55m Ben Miller 31st August, 2026 Lukaku makes Fenerbahce move Tom Rostance 12th August, 2026 Chelsea star issues Xabi Alonso verdict: I dont care about the system Ben Miller 7th August, 2026 Im here to bring Italy back Mancini promises glorious return Tom Rostance 29th July, 2026 Mancini set for Italy return after Pirlo deal collapse Nicholas McGee 28th July, 2026
