Belgium vs Italy

Belgium and Italy go head-to-head in a mouth-watering Euro 2020 quarter-final clash at the Allianz Arena.

Seeking their first major title to support their position in the FIFA ranking, Belgium took Group B by a storm, winning all three group stage games by an aggregate score of 7-1. The Belgians have kept their momentum going in the knock-outs, ousting reigning European champions Portugal in the round of 16. They have now advanced to the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the fourth time in a row. This time around, they are hopeful of capitalizing on a lucky omen, as four of the last five nations to have eliminated the defending Euro champions went on to win the tournament. However, ‘De Rode Duivels’ will have to defy their Euro hoodoo to overcome Italy here, as they’ve never won five games at a single tournament, let alone doing so on the bounce. With the said, Roberto Martinez’s men have racked up seven victories in their last eight fixtures at the European Championships – except for a 3-1 loss to Wales in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals.

Italy came out on top of a nail-biting 2-1 extra-time clash against Austria in the last-16 to secure their fourth successive appearance in the European Championship quarter-finals. Before Sasa Kalajdzic’s 115th-minute consolation goal, Italy had gone 385 minutes without conceding at Euro 2020. Moreover, the Italians have kept 12 consecutive clean sheets in all competitions if considered only 90 minutes of play, friendlies included. Remarkably, ‘Gli Azzurri’ have let in under 1.5 goals in 17 of their last 18 matches within major tournaments (World Cups and Euros), registering an average of just 0.72 goals conceded. Adding to their confidence, Italy have successfully negotiated three of their previous four meetings with Belgium at major tournaments (D1), running out 2-0 victors in their most recent such encounter in the Euro 2016 group stages.

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