Football Predictions
Host nation Georgia will be taking on Belgium in the second game of the Under-21 Euro 2023 Championships with the hope that they can build on their opening-day win over Portugal.
They come against a Belgium side who opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Netherlands. Georgia had previously fallen short in 14 successive qualification periods before earning a golden ticket to the finals as co-hosts with Romania this year, but the Crusaders are potentially just 90 minutes away from eliminating two of the big boys, and a three-game run without conceding makes for pleasant reading before the visit of a Belgium side who are yet to find their best shooting boots.
Belgium is not exactly brimming with continental know-how, as they had only ever qualified for the Under-21 Euros four times before the 2023 edition – getting to the semi-finals in 2007 in between group-stage eliminations in 2002 and 2019 – and a similar fate could befall them should they fail to spoil the Georgian party in their first-ever clash with the Crusaders at this level.
H2H/Stats
Both teams have never met before but if form is anything o be considered, Georgia comes with a better record having won two of their last five games with Belgium yet to win in the same period.
Team News
Georgia has no major issues going into the second game but will be worried about the fitness of captain Anzor Mekvabishvili who came off with an apparent injury concern in the final 20 minutes of their opening game. Dynamo Moscow midfielder Luka Gagnidze will be waiting in the wings if the skipper does not make the cut, and Svanadze is facing difficult decisions over a few senior players who were spared for the opener, having turned out for the elders in Euro 2024 qualifying.
One of those selection dilemmas is in goal, as Valencia’s much-coveted number one Giorgi Mamardashvili seeks a place in the first XI, while Zuriko Davitashvili could offer a pair of fresh legs up front.
As for Belgium, senior trio Ameen Al-Dakhil, Olivier Deman and Aster Vranckx were all unused substitutes in their opener but Lens hotshot Lois Openda was given the green light to start and will no doubt hold his place here. Mathijssen did not witness any players come off with injuries on the opening day, but given his side’s marked improvement in the second half, an alteration or two may be pondered.
Probable Line Ups
Georgia XI: Mamardashvili; Khvadagiani, Gelashvili, Kalandadze, Sazonov, Tsitaishvili; Mekvabishvili, N. Gagnidze; Moistsrapishvili; Davitashvili, Gagua
Belgium XI: Vandevoordt; Siquet, Debast, De Winter, De Cuyper; Vranckx, Keita, Matazo; De Ketelaere; Openda, Balikwisha
Verdict
Belgium might have the experience and the players needed to topple any side in the competition but playing a host nation will always come with its fair share of challenges. A win for Georgia here would mean they qualify for the next round of the competition but Belgium can’t afford to lose as it will bring so much pressure to the side heading to the final group game.
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Extra tips 👇
We’ve got more bold picks from different matches with all of the permutations and possible outcomes in mind.
Below are the most popular fixtures from TopbetsKE with favourites indicated in bold and feature fixtures linked to our expert betting tips.
We also have Both Team To Score, Over 2.5 Market and a safe bet of Over 1.5.
1X2 Market
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BTTS
- Georgia v Belgium✅
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Over 2.5
- Portugal v Netherlands❌
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Safe bet – Over 1.5
- Georgia v Belgium✅
- Portugal v Netherlands✅
- Romania v Ukraine❌
- Spain v Croatia
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