Belgium vs Ukraine Prediction: Lukaku to drive Devils fightback

Belgium must come back from a 3-1 defeat in the first leg to preserve their top-tier Nations League status at the Cegeka Arena in Genk on Sunday night (19:45, live on YouTube).

Read on for my Belgium vs Ukraine predictions, complete with the latest odds and team news.

Belgium vs Ukraine Odds

With home advantage and a need to win, Belgium have been installed as strong 1/2 favourites, with the draw on offer at 7/2 and Ukraine the outsiders at 9/2.

Goals are expected with over 2.5 priced at 4/6 and over 3.5 at 7/4, with under on offer at 11/10 and 2/5 respectively, while both teams to score is 4/5 with at least one clean sheet at 10/11.

Team News

Garcia will have to make at least one change to his starting XI, with Youri Tielemans now serving a suspension after picking up a yellow card in the first leg, with Hans Vanaken or Nicolas Raskin options to replace him.

Timothy Castagne and Lois Openda are back from their own suspensions to bolster Garcia's options, while Wout Faes looks set to be restored to the backline, given the Red Devils' poor defensive showing in the first leg.

Ukraine boss Serhiy Rebrov could well be tempted to stick with the same starting XI, providing Yukhym Konoplya - as well as the man who replaced him, Oleksiy Sych - shakes off a knock sustained in Murcia.

Oleksiy Hutsulyak and Vladyslav Vanat both scored from off the bench last week but may have to wait to make another telling impact once again, while Artem Dovbyk will be hoping to have recovered from an illness.

Both teams to score - Yes @ 4/5

While Belgium are understandable favourites, they are a little too short at 1/2 for the win, having lost five of their last six games and each of the previous four, which includes a 1-0 defeat to Israel - the team that finished below them in League A2 on goal difference.

Ukraine are unbeaten in five, winning three of those, and could well be a bogey side for the Red Devils, having also held them to a draw at last summer's European Championships.

Backing both teams to score seems a safer option, with Ukraine scoring in each of the last seven games, while Belgium have gone eight without a clean sheet. A home win with both teams finding the back of the net is also worth considering at 21/10.

Romelu Lukaku to score anytime @ 1/1

Belgium need goals and who better to provide one than their all-time leading goalscorer, Romelu Lukaku, who bagged the opener in Thursday's first leg.

He may not be enjoying his most prolific season, but he has still scored 11 goals in all competitions, including two in his last three games. With a two-goal deficit to overturn, Belgium are likely to throw the kitchen sink at Ukraine and Garcia will lean on Lukaku to apply the finishing touch.

Having already scored in the play-off tie, the fact that Lukaku is 1/1 is a big enough price to jump on.

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