Analysis and predictions for Belgium vs Ukraine: Overcoming the Eastern European hurdle.

Latest information on the Belgium vs Ukraine match lineups.

After replacing Domenico Tedesco earlier this year, coach Rudi Garcia successfully persuaded Thibaut Courtois to return to the national team, and the Real Madrid goalkeeper made his first start for Belgium since June 2023 in Thursday's match.

Courtois will continue to man the goal behind a four-man defense, but the positions in front of him could change after a blunder-ridden second half against Spain. Wout Faes and Ameen Al-Dakhil are among the defenders likely to be promoted to the starting lineup.

In midfield, Youri Tielemans is likely to continue playing as a central midfielder, while veterans Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne will combine in attack.

On the Ukrainian side, coach Serhiy Rebrov needs to consider whether to keep the starting lineup or give opportunities to reserve players who have made an impression.

Ukraine's attack has many options: Roman Yaremchuk started in the previous match, Vladyslav Vanat scored after coming on as a substitute, and Roma striker Artem Dovbyk is working to recover from illness.

Courtois' teammate at Real Madrid, goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, is expected to continue as the starting goalkeeper, despite strong competition from Anatoliy Trubin of Benfica.

Latest predicted lineups for Belgium vs Ukraine

Belgium:

Courtois; Castagne, Faes, Debast, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Vanaken; Saelemaekers, De Bruyne, Trossard; Lukaku

Ukraine:

Lunin; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko; Shaparenko, Kalyuzhnyi, Zinchenko; Tsygankov, Sudakov; Vanat

Latest football match prediction: Belgium vs Ukraine

When Romelu Lukaku headed in the winning goal just before halftime, it seemed as though Belgium had one foot in League A. But what happened in the second half completely shattered everything.

A fatal mistake by Koni De Winter opened up an opportunity for Oleksiy Hutsulyak to score just three minutes after coming on as a substitute. Ukraine continued to capitalize on their opponents' confusion to score a second goal through Vladyslav Vanat, also from the bench. And then, Bournemouth's central defender Illia Zabarnyi sealed the impressive comeback with a third goal.

It was a nightmare debut for Belgium's new coach, Rudi Garcia, who replaced Domenico Tedesco after the team's disappointing performances at Euro 2024 and the Nations League group stage. Under Garcia's leadership, Belgium extended their losing streak to four – an unbelievable number for a team that was once the world's number one.

The prospect of being relegated to League B for the first time in history is looming, and Garcia – who also disappointed at Napoli – will face immense pressure if he fails to help Belgium win by at least two goals this weekend.

Meanwhile, Ukraine – still playing away from home due to the political situation – showed character and effectiveness in the second half in Murcia. They only need a draw to officially qualify for League A for the first time.

Coach Serhiy Rebrov's team ended 2024 impressively, overcoming Georgia and Albania in a very close group, and are currently on a five-match unbeaten streak.

Despite being ranked lower than their opponents, Ukraine has never lost to Belgium. The two teams first met in the group stage of last year's Euro and ended in a 0-0 draw – a scenario that, if repeated this time, would be more than enough to help Ukraine advance in the standings.

Latest Belgium vs Ukraine score prediction

Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Belgium vs Ukraineas follows:

• Sportsmole:Belgium 2-0 Ukraine

• WhoScore:Belgium 2-1 Ukraine
• Our newspaper predicts:Belgium 2-1 Ukraine

When and where can I watch Belgium vs Ukraine live?

To watch the Belgium vs Ukraine match live in the Nations League, taking place at 1:45 AM on March 24th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.