Frank Christian
Belgium is set for a challenging match against Italy in the UEFA Nations League, as they head to Rome.
Italy recently bounced back from a lackluster European Championship with a remarkable 3-1 victory over France in their first League A, Group 2 match.
Under coach Luciano Spalletti, Italy followed up with a win against Israel, while Belgium suffered a 2-0 loss to France.
Belgian captain Kevin De Bruyne criticized their recent performance and will miss the next two international matches due to a groin injury as he focuses on recovery.
Romelu Lukaku is also sidelined until the end of the year, putting pressure on coach Domenico Tedesco to rely on younger talent in lieu of these key players.
Predicted Lineups for Italy vs. Belgium
Spalletti remains dedicated to introducing fresh faces, with AC Milan’s Daniel Maldini, son of legendary Paolo Maldini, and Roma’s Niccolo Pisilli likely to earn their first caps this week.
Maldini’s presence strengthens an otherwise thin attack, as Federico Chiesa, Moise Kean, and Gianluca Scamacca are unavailable. This could lead to a forward pairing of Mateo Retegui and Giacomo Raspadori.
Italy’s anticipated lineup (3-5-2, left to right): Donnarumma (GK) — Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori — Bellanova, Barella, Ricci, Tonali, Dimarco — Raspadori, Retegui
Complete Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Guglielmo Vicario, Michele Di Gregorio
Defenders: Federico Dimarco, Alessandro Buongiorno, Riccardo Calafiori, Caleb Okoli, Matteo Gabbia, Raoul Bellanova, Andrea Cambiaso, Destiny Udogie, Alessandro Bastoni, Giovanni Di Lorenzo
Midfielders: Samuele Ricci, Sandro Tonali, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Davide Frattesi, Nicolo Fagioli, Niccolo Pisilli
Forwards: Mateo Retegui, Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori, Daniel Maldini
Lois Openda is set to step in for Lukaku as the centre-forward. Tedesco is facing a choice for the No. 10 position.
Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere is seen as a potential long-term replacement for De Bruyne, although the recalled Leandro Trossard, who has shown great form at Arsenal, might be preferred.
Belgium’s likely lineup (4-2-3-1, left to right): Casteels (GK) — Castagne, Faes, Debast, Theate — Onana, Tielemans — Lukebakio, Trossard, Doku — Openda
Complete Squad:
Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels, Thomas Kaminski, Matz Sels
Defenders: Zeno Debast, Arthur Theatre, Wout Faes, Thomas Meunier, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Timothy Castagne
Midfielders: Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans, Julien Duranville, Orel Mangala, Alexis Saelemaekers, Arthur Vermeeren
Forwards: Lois Openda, Jeremy Doku, Dodi Lukebakio, Charles De Ketelaere, Johan Bakayoko
Kick-off Timing for Italy vs. Belgium
This UEFA Nations League match is set to take place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on October 10, starting at 8:45 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time converts to various global time zones:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Thurs, Oct. 10 | 2:45 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Thurs, Oct. 10 | 2:45 p.m. ET |
| Australia | Fri, Oct. 11 | 5:45 a.m. AEDT |
| UK | Thurs, Oct. 10 | 7:45 p.m. BST |
| India | Fri, Oct. 11 | 12:15 a.m. IST |
Italy vs. Belgium Broadcast Information
Here’s where you can catch this UEFA Nations League match across different regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | Fox Sports 2 | Fubo, ViX, Foxsports.com |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | — | — |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | Sony LIV, JioTV |
