The Den Dreef Stadium is the stage for this highly-anticipated encounter this weekend as England travel to Brussels to take on Belgium. it is getting quite heated at the top of League A2 and as such, both sides will be keen on getting a positive result.

Both sides have clashed quite a few times in recent seasons. Their most recent encounter being the first leg of this doubleheader during the last international break. The Three Lions emerged winners as the handed their opponents their first loss in quite some time. Will Southgate manage another win against the top-ranked international team in the world?

Destiny in the hands of Martinez and Co.

The Belgians lost their first game since 2018 in their last meeting with the Three Lions. As such, they conceded the top spot on the table to the English. However, thanks to England's slip up on matchday 4, the Belgians reclaimed top spot in their second game of the last international break. A brace from Lukaku was all they needed to as they cruised to a 2-1 victory.

As a result, the Red Devils pretty much are the authors of their own story on the road to the Nations League playoffs next October. All they need to do is win their remaining games and qualification is sealed. They were involved in a warm-up game with Switzerland last Wednesday and emerged 2-1 winner via a Batshuayi brace.

Uphill task for the Three Lions

Gareth Southgate and his troops have quite the hill to climb if they want to conjure up a place in the playoffs. They're currently in third place, level on points with Denmark, and two points behind the league leaders. As such, they find this game as a must-win against a side that hasn't lost at home since 2016.

England takes on Ireland in a warm-up game before travelling to Brussels. Southgate will certainly hope to get his players up to speed for this tightly-contested affair this weekend.

Belgium vs England Team News:

Belgium possible starting XI:

Courtois; Aldeweireld, Vertonghen, Denayer; Meunier, Witsel, Tielemans, Hazard; De Bruyne; Lukaku, Mertens

England possible starting XI:

Pickford; Walker, Dier, Mings; Chilwell, Henderson, Rice, Trippier; Sterling, Kane, Sancho

Belgium vs England Prediction: 2-1

Football fans will be treated to a high-quality football game as two of the best national teams around go head-to-head. However, as mentioned earlier, Belgium hasn't lost a home game since 2016 and as a result, they're well-worth backing this weekend.