Belgium – Wales

Belgium and Wales are capable of producing productive football

The fifth round of Group 4 of the Nations League A will be crucial to Belgium's prospects of qualifying for the Final Four. Roberto Martinez's side have suffered just one defeat in the current fixture, but that could be enough for the ambitious side to suffer an overall setback. The Welsh side have their own motivation for the upcoming game - retaining their place in League A, which, in the current climate, requires picking up points on a 'here and now basis. It goes without saying that bookmakers have identified Belgium as the favorite, competing with Brazil for first place in world football in the FIFA rankings. The Belgian team currently has the strongest squad in the history of football in this country, but is still unable to convert their potential into at least one title. Martinez's side lost their semi-final qualification to eventual winner France in the last four of the Nations League. The team made it through qualification for the World Cup in Qatar with precisely the minimum energy expenditure required of them. The current draw of the Nations League kicked off for the Belgians with an inexplicable defeat to the Netherlands. Not only did the Orange won in Brussels, but they did so with a 4-1 draw, conceding the only goal of the game to Belgium on 90+2 minutes. After that debacle, the Belgians quickly came to their senses, scoring a combined total of seven goals in their two victories against Poland, but they failed to beat Wales 1-1 in Cardiff. The Welsh actually faced Martinez's side in the World Cup qualifier mentioned above. Back then, they also managed to get a 1-1 home win, but the Welsh players failed to take the Belgium test 1-3 away. In general, the British team in recent years looks good, as evidenced by their presence in the Ligue A and reaching the World Cup in Qatar following a difficult play-off. Another thing is that the Welsh are not very competitive in the current Nations League. In four games, Bale and company have scored just one point and conceded an average of two goals per game. Both teams will have their priorities in Brussels, with the home side fighting for first place and the visitors third. Both teams have nowhere to go, so it will be a tough and high-scoring encounter.