First home win for van Bommel with the ‘Red Devils’?
The third round of the Nations League is coming up, and we’ve got a pick for you for the match between Belgium and Turkey! The home team kicked off the competition with an unfortunate 0–1 loss to the Equipe Tricolore in front of their own fans, following a previous 2–0 victory in Italy.
The visitors from Turkey, for their part, still have zero points after their matches against France and the Squadra Azzurra. So far, there’s been no sign of a turnaround following their embarrassing performance last summer at the World Cup, which ended with elimination after the group stage. Given this situation, we’re predicting a home win in the match between Belgium and Turkey.
In addition, we believe the odds on the hosts scoring more than two goals could be worth a bet. The visitors have recently shown themselves to be very vulnerable defensively once again. The Turks conceded no fewer than four goals against Italy.
Furthermore, the home team has no shortage of quality on offense, with top international players such as Lois Openda of Olympique Lyon and Romelu Lukaku of Fenerbahçe.
Belgium – Turkey Head-to-Head Record
The two nations are facing off for the first time in more than 15 years. Back then, Belgium and Turkey played to a 1-1 draw in the Belgian capital during European Championship qualifying.
Thanks to that draw, the “Diables Rouges” have been undefeated in three home matches against Turkey (1-2-0). The odds also favor the home team in the upcoming Belgium vs. Turkey matchup.
Belgium – Turkey Prediction
Coach Mark van Bommel is set to lead Belgium for the third time since taking the helm, and we expect him to secure his first home win. After two tough matches—in Italy and at home against France—Turkey, a significantly weaker opponent, is next on the schedule.
The Turkish national team, led by captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu, disappointed at the last World Cup, and things don’t seem to be getting any better. Most recently, the “Bizim Çocuklar” under Italian coach Vincenzo Montella suffered a crushing 1-4 defeat against Italy.
The result highlighted that the defense, in particular, still has plenty of room for improvement. They haven’t kept a clean sheet in six international matches and have conceded an average of just under two goals per game during that stretch.
In almost every case, the back line has been shaky right from the start: in only one of the last six international matches did the visitors keep a clean sheet until halftime. In light of this, we believe the betting odds for a victory by the 2018 World Cup third-place finisher in front of their home fans are worth considering in the showdown between Belgium and Turkey.
