Belgium secured their place at Euro 2024 with a narrow win over Austria on Friday night, and that victory has somewhat changed the importance of their next qualifier against Sweden, which kicks off at 7.45pm on Monday night. Below I preview the match, and give my selections.

Match Odds

Belgium are 8/13 to win this match on home soil, while Sweden are priced at 9/2. A draw can be backed at 11/4 with Betfred.

Team News

Belgium went all out to secure three points against Austria on Friday night, and although they achieved it, it came with some damage. Everton midfielder Andre Onana was shown a late red card and is suspended for this match, while there is a chance that Domenico Tedesco may rest some of his starters after a bruising encounter. 

Sweden rested their entire first choice XI in their 3-1 friendly win over Moldova, so we can expect the big names of Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak to return up front. It’s all or nothing now for Sweden, as their hopes of qualification hang in the balance. 

Belgium to win @ 8/13

This match-up is a difficult one to judge now that Belgium have already qualified. If they had something to play for, I would be backing them to win comfortably given they have looked superb since the World Cup. Their encounter with Austria was a classic, eventually coming out 3-2 winners and holding on with ten men having taken a 3-0 lead. 

Sweden are seven points behind second-placed Austria with a game in hand and may not even get the chance to qualify, if Austria beat Azerbaijan in the earlier kick-off. That means that both of these sides may not have anything to play for, which means I lean back to a home win. 

Belgium may rotate slightly for this one, but they also have the target of winning the group outright. They will also want to give their fans a performance to treasure and put Sweden to the sword. They should have enough to get past a Sweden side who are struggling to find their way at the minute. 

BTTS at 5/6 

Belgium have scored in every game since the World Cup, including eight times in their last two matches. With Romelu Lukaku leading the line, they look dangerous every time they go forward, but the Austria game also showed us they can be susceptible to conceding goals. 

Sweden may be a little short in terms of quality at the back, but up front they have one of the best forward lines in Europe. Viktor Gyokeres has been on fire since joining Sporting in the summer with eight goals in nine matches so far this season while Alexander Isak has also had a profitable start to the season with Newcastle. If Sweden can get those two working together, they could be a force for years to come.