Three Belgian players miss the clash with France at King Baudouin Stadium
Three members of the Diables Rouges will be left on the bench on Monday as Belgium host France at the King Baudouin Stadium, a match that follows a 0‑2 win in Italy three days earlier.
Line‑up hit by injuries and suspensions
Leandro Trossard and Mike Penders remain out injured, and Arthur Theate, Kyriani Sabbe and Malick Fofana will also miss the fixture. Sabbe and Fofana had already been excluded from the squad for the Italy game, while Theate was an unused substitute in Rome.
Koni De Winter is the beneficiary, earning what could be his ninth cap against the Bleus.
Van Bommel’s multilingual approach
New boss Mark van Bommel addresses his players in Dutch, but his assistants Boudewijn Zenden and Maarten Martens speak French fluently. "The players understand me very well, especially if I speak slowly," van Bommel told VTM.
He adds that if anything is unclear after a meeting or training session, he will re‑explain it himself or delegate the task, noting that language is never a problem. In one‑to‑one talks with francophone players he may also switch to English or even Spanish, as he did with Matias Fernandez‑Pardo.
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Zidane’s expectations for France
France arrive in Brussels after a recent 0‑2 victory in Turkey, with Zinedine Zidane describing the encounter as "a difficult match". He praised Belgium’s new generation and collective strength, calling the upcoming game a test for the French side.
Zidane confirmed that he will make "some changes" ahead of the second group‑stage match, noting the tight schedule of four games in a short period. He also confirmed that Kylian Mbappé will miss the rest of the international window, leaving the captain’s armband to Ousmane Dembélé.
Dembélé, is a leader whose influence is felt through actions rather than words, and the French coach expects a high level of energy from him across the four remaining matches.
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The fixture marks the 79th meeting between the two nations, with the head‑to‑head record almost level: 30 Belgian wins, 29 French wins and 19 draws.