Belgium v Italy in Brussels: Nations League decider on Sunday, 15 November

Heysel tribute before the match

On Saturday, 14 November, a delegation from the Italian federation laid a wreath at the memorial plaque in Brussels for the 39 people who died on 29 May 1985. Those deaths came in disorder before the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. The delegation was led by the federation's special commissioner Giovanni Malagò and included Claudio Ranieri, the federation's technical director and president of Club Italia, national coach Roberto Mancini and defender Giorgio Scalvini. Belgian federation president Pascale Van Damme and chief executive Vincent Mannaert also laid flowers, and the two delegations observed a minute of silence together.

Italy top the group, Belgium need a win

Italy go into their final group match at the top of group A1 after beating France 3-1 on Thursday, 12 November. Belgium come off a narrow win in Turkey and must beat Italy on Sunday to book a place in the quarter-finals. Italy need only a draw, which Belgian coach Mark Van Bommel described as an advantage that could also create doubts. Van Bommel called the game a knockout-style test rather than a final, and said Belgium want to win wherever they play. Belgium won the opening meeting between the sides 2-0 in Rome.

Team news and the coach's words

Mancini spoke at a press conference in Brussels on Saturday and said it was good for Italy to be fighting for a quarter-final place. He also said Belgium were not far behind France in his view, and that Belgium had gone out of the World Cup at the last minute. He stressed that the match would be difficult.

“It is good that we are here to fight for qualification to the quarter-finals. The match will be complicated.”

On selection, Mancini said Frattesi and Cambiaghi have left the camp, forcing him to find alternatives, and that Riccardo Calafiori is one of the players he will assess on Sunday. He added that Italy could still finish top of the group.

“It will not be easy, but we can also finish the group in first place.”

Players on both sides

Giorgio Scalvini said finishing top of the group was the result of the work done with the coach, and that it gave the squad a lift. He said the first meeting had not produced a positive result for Italy, but that the second half had good moments and the team would play with the right attitude. Charles De Ketelaere, who plays for Atalanta, said he was not surprised by Italy's win over France. He noted that Italy come from missing the World Cup, so their confidence is not high, though earlier wins over Turkey and a draw against France had given them a boost. He said Belgium know what they must do, which is to win and move on.

What is at stake on Sunday

The match kicks off at 20:45 on Sunday, 15 November at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Belgium need a win to reach the quarter-finals, while Van Bommel said a draw is enough for Italy. The timeline below sets out the Heysel commemoration and the scheduled kick-off.

Van Bommel also said Belgium's last win gives them confidence in their system, which he described as hard to apply with a national team.