Getting off to a positive start will be crucial to both Italy's and Belgium's chances of qualifying from a tough Nations League group that consists of France and Turkiye.
The Italians have the home advantage on matchday one, and their record against the Red Devils suggests that Roberto Mancini's side stand a good chance of picking up maximum points.
These two countries have met eight times over the years, and it's Italy that have dominated, picking up six wins, one draw and just one defeat. When the two sides last locked horns in November 2024, another Nation League encounter, a solitary Sandro Tonali goal proved enough for Italy to win in Brussels.
Italy made it through to the quarter-finals of last season's edition of the Nations League, bowing out 5-4 to Germany on aggregate, while Belgium only just managed to avoid relegation, needing a 4-3 aggregate win over Ukraine to avoid slipping into League B.
During their recent qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, Italy scored in all but one of their matches and yet they still failed to qualify for a third successive occasion, going out on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the play-offs.
Belgium also scored in all but one of their World Cup qualifiers, and when they got to North America, five of their six matches ended with both teams scoring, including their quarter-final defeat to the eventual winners Spain.
Given their history, we're backing Italy to make the most of their home advantage on Friday night but have backed both teams to score in what should be a close and competitive 90 minutes.
Italy 2-1 Belgium
