Euro 2016 Schedule: Live Stream, TV Info, Odds for Friday Quarter-Final Fixture
Wales and Belgium will once again battle it out on Friday in the second quarter-final of UEFA Euro 2016, as the Dragons hope to continue their strong run against the Red Devils on their way to a semi-final spot.
The two teams were in the same Euro 2016 qualifying group and also played each other during qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Belgium had the upper hand in their first two meetings, winning in Wales and drawing in Brussels, but the Dragons controlled their two clashes leading up to this year's European Championship, drawing in the Belgian capital before winning on home soil.
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Belgium limp into Friday's clash with a number of defensive concerns, but the Red Devils dominated Hungary in the round of 16 last Saturday and are high on momentum.
Here's everything you need to know about Friday's tie:
Date: Friday, July 1
Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
Venue: Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille, France
TV Info: BBC One (UK), ESPN 2 (U.S.)
Live Stream: BBC iPlayer (UK), WatchESPN (U.S.)
The latest match odds, per Odds Shark:
| Wales Win | Draw | Belgium Win |
| 9-2 | 12-5 | 3-4 |
Preview
The Red Devils enter this match as the clear favourites thanks to their superb win over Hungary and the location of the Stade Pierre Mauroy—close to France's border with Belgium. Belgian fans are expected to travel to Lille in huge numbers; it's just a short trip by car or public transport.
Belgium's preparation for Friday's clash hasn't gone according to plan, however. Manager Marc Wilmots knew he faced some tough decisions following Thomas Vermaelen's suspension, and things got even worse on Thursday, per Agence France-Presse's Tom Williams:
Jan Vertonghen joins Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Lombaerts on the list of injured stars, and all three would likely have started had they been healthy. Instead, Belgium will face Wales with three players most pundits didn't expect to see during Euro 2016.
Tottenham Hotspur's Toby Alderweireld is one of the team's best defensive players, and right-back Thomas Meunier has held his own so far during the tournament. But likely starters Jason Denayer and Jordan Lukaku, both 21 years old, are inexperienced options who struggled in Belgium's friendlies leading up to the tournament.
Those friendlies were against the likes of Norway and Finland. On Friday, they're expected to start against Wales, who field one of the best forwards on the planet. Gareth Bale has been one of the in-form stars of the tournament, and he's excited to take on Belgium once again.
Per the Sun's James Orr, the Real Madrid man believes the Dragons' 1-0 win over the Red Devils in qualifying changed the team for the better:
"From that night, we have gone up to another level. We've taken our game on with playing more games in our system, gelling even more. It was a changing moment for us.
It was my most important Welsh goal, especially at the time of qualifying.
It was an important goal for me personally on my 50th cap and for the team. It also gave us that belief that we can take on and beat the big teams.
"
Belgium are, arguably, the biggest left on this side of the bracket. The Red Devils flashed their remarkable scoring potential in the 4-0 win over Hungary, a match in which they easily could have scored three or four more goals.
But the Hungarians gave Belgium lots of space to work with, and they lost the midfield battle to the likes of Axel Witsel and Radja Nainggolan. Hungary didn't have the talent in those areas to match up with Belgium―Wales do, as both Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey have enjoyed solid tournaments so far.
Witsel and Nainggolan will be key for Belgium, as Wilmots will ask them to keep a close on eye on Wales' main attacking options and aid the defence as much as they can. Both have played a big role in building the attack for the Red Devils so far, but they might not have the opportunity to do so against the Welsh.
Bale and his team-mates should find success against Denayer and Lukaku, but keeping out an in-form Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne won't be easy.
Prediction: Wales 1-2 Belgium
