Belgium vs Tunisia Prediction: More sprouts of hope for Lukaku in Brussels

Belgium and Tunisia suffered contrasting results in their first pre-2026 FIFA World Cup friendlies, beating Croatia 2-0 and losing 1-0 to Austria, respectively. The Red Devils and Eagles of Carthage conclude their preparations for the tournament in the USA, Mexico & Canada with a warm-up match at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels this Saturday (3pm local, 2pm BST).

Below are my Belgium vs Tunisia predictions, alongside all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Prior to Tuesday's 2-0 friendly victory over Croatia in Rijeka, Napoli forward Romelu Lukaku hadn't featured since Gli Azzurri's 2-1 victory over Torino on 6 March, with an injury and a disagreement with his club side keeping him out of action for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.

The 33-year-old made his return as a 73rd-minute substitute against Croatia, scoring in the dying embers of the game to seal victory for his national team, and I'm expecting him to start on Saturday as he continues to build up his fitness with a view to starting Belgium's World Cup opener against Egypt on 15 June.

Senne Lammens, Axel Witsel and Dodi Lukebako are others who could earn promotions to Rudi Garcia's starting XI, with Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Thibaut Courtois among those who could drop down to the bench.

World Cup Odds

Tunisia and Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri is doubtful after being withdrawn during the latter stages of his country's 1-0 loss to Austria on Monday.

Sabri Lamouchi could bring the likes of Mohamed Belhadj and Sebastian Tounekti into his starting XI.

Head-to-head record

Belgium and Tunisia drew 1-1 in the group stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which was the first-ever meeting between these two countries at senior international level.

Their second head-to-head came 12 years later in a June 2014 friendly, won 1-0 by Belgium, who thrashed their Tunisian counterparts 5-2 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup to hold a 2-1-0 record heading into Saturday's friendly.

Belgium vs Tunisia Odds

Belgium are 3/10 to win, implying a 76.9% probability of success, with Tunisia 17/2, or a 10.5% chance, and the draw offered at 18/5.

Anytime Goalscorer - Romelu Lukaku (BEL) @ 5/6

If he starts on Saturday, I'd be looking to back Lukaku in the First Goalscorer market at 5/2, but that's not a guarantee given he only made his return to action on Tuesday after more than three months on the sidelines.

So, instead, I'll opt for the former Manchester United and Chelsea striker in the Anytime Goalscorer market, and for a player who's scored 90 goals in 125 caps, 5/6 is a decent price, even taking into account his lack of minutes recently.

Lukaku showed against Croatia that he only needs one opportunity to score, so whether he starts or comes off the bench for the last half an hour, he's always a solid candidate to get on the scoresheet.

To Win to Nil - Belgium @ 5/6

Belgiumg conceded just five shots, and only one on target, in their victory over Croatia on Tuesday, while in eight World Cup qualifiers last year, they were breached just seven times, keeping four clean sheets.

Tunisia, meanwhile, have blanked in their last two games, drawing 0-0 with Canada in April before going down to Austria in Vienna, where their hosts were reduced to 10 men in the 37th minute.

Despite boasting a man advantage, Tunisia lost 1-0, with Marcel Sabitzer scoring the only goal of the game in the 63rd minute. The Eagles of Carthage only managed two shots on target, which will be a concern for Lamouchi.