England and Belgium will meet each other in the UEFA Nations League this month as the two prepare to meet each other for the first time since their two meetings in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Of course, the Red Devils managed to defeat the Three Lions on both occasions – once in the Group Stage and then in the Third-Place Playoff between the two sides – which should perhaps be on the minds of those bettors looking to place wagers when making their UEFA Nations League predictions for the upcoming games.
However, throughout history, England have done rather well against the Belgian nation, having lost just four of the total meetings between the sides prior to their 2020 UEFA Nations League.
But, that record can be considered to be a little deceiving as the Red Devils have had the Three Lions’ number when it comes down to competitive action as all-but-one defeat has been recorded in a cup competition.
Indeed, the last two outings were defeats in the FIFA World Cup whilst England’s defeat in 1998 came in the King Hassan II Cup.
That tournament may not have meant too much, however it could have been a reason as to why the country had a rather poor outing in the 1998 edition of the FIFA World Cup, as they were defeated in the Round of 16 on penalties to Argentina in a match where David Beckham infamously got himself sent off after kicking out at Diego Simeone.
The Red Devils recorded their own penalty shoot-out win against the Three Lions in the tournament scheduled as a tune-up for the FIFA World Cup after the game finished goalless.
It would have been disappointing for Glenn Hoddle’s side at the time, as they had all the talent available in the team to go on and be successful, as stars like Beckham, Michael Owen, Paul Gascoigne and Les Ferdinand all available.
A number of them had come from the substitutes bench, whilst the likes of Steve McManaman, Paul Scholes, Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham had all failed to come on.
Rob Lee and Les Ferdinand both failed from 12-yards to find the net on the first and the fifth attempts, whilst the Belgians had missed on their fourth attempt.
The match might have been 22 years ago, however England have since failed to defeat the Red Devils in the competitive competition. Admittedly, the two nations have played each other just four times in that period, but the results do not lie.
Gareth Southgate will be looking to avenge their defeats in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, if not for personal reasons, but to at least get this particular monkey off their back moving forward.
