Belgium will look to maintain their unbeaten record and secure their spot at the World Cup when they host winless Liechtenstein on Tuesday.

Belgium will be looking to return to winning ways when they square up with Liechtenstein in the final fixture of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. The hosts are expected to get the job done without much trouble against a side that has lost all their games in Group J.

The Red Devils are top of the table with 15 points in their seven outings, with four wins and three draws. Rudi Garcia’s charges have a two-point lead over second-placed North Macedonia, and they are pretty much guaranteed to secure an automatic ticket to the summer’s main event.

Belgium are heading into this fixture on the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw against Kazakhstan, a side they beat 6-0 in the reverse fixture. While it did postpone celebrations, they should comfortably get the job done against Liechtenstein.

The visitors are bottom of Group J with 0 points in their seven outings. The Blue-Reds have lost all seven of their outings, and they have not found the back of the net even once. Liechtenstein have conceded 24 goals in those outings.

The away side are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-0 defeat against Wales. While they were clearly the second-best team on the night, they will be pleased that they only conceded once. Having let in six goals against Belgium in the reverse fixture, Liechtenstein will look to put up a better show. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.

Team News & Tactics

Belgium

The home team are without the services of Real Madrid star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who picked up an injury prior to their last outing. Meanwhile, Thomas Meunier is back available after serving a suspension last time out.

Belgium will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Matz Sels will continue in goal. Timothy Castagne and Maxim De Cuyper should be the full-backs, while Arthur Theate will pair up with Koni De Winter in the heart of the defence.

As for the midfield unit, Amadou Onana and Nicolas Raskin will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. They will look to shield the backline and control the tempo.

Hans Vanaken will take up the number ten role, while Jeremy Doku and Dodi Lukebakio will feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width. Finally, Lois Openda will lead the line for Belgium against Liechtenstein on Tuesday.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Sels; Castagne, De Winter, Theate, De Cuyper; Onana, Raskin; Lukebakio, Vanaken, Doku; Openda

Liechtenstein

Jens Hofer is back available after serving a suspension for the visitors. Meanwhile, the visitors did suffer a blow in their last outing as Emanuel Zund and Fabio Luque-Notaro were subbed off because of injury concerns. The duo are unlikely to be available for this fixture.

Liechtenstein will line up in a 3-5-2 formation, where Benjamin Buchel will take charge in goal. In the heart of the defence, Andreas Malin will start alongside Livio Meier and Max Goppel, forming the central defensive unit.

Nicolas Hasler and Jens Hofer will feature as the wing-backs, while Simon Luchinger, Aron Sele, and Alessio Hasler will form the midfield trifecta. The trio will certainly have a lot of defending to do, and they will protect the centre-backs.

Willy Pizzi should partner with Dennis Salanovic in the strike partnership in the final third; the duo will be looking to bag Liechtenstein’s first goal of this qualifying campaign when they take on Belgium on Tuesday.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Buchel; Meier, Malin, Goppel; Nicolas Hasler, Sele, Luchinger, Alessio Hasler, Hofer; Pizzi, Salanovic

Key Stats

• Liechtenstein have lost all seven of their qualifying fixtures.
• The visitors are yet to score a goal, while they have conceded 24 in their seven outings.
• Belgium are unbeaten in Group J, with four wins and three draws in seven outings.
• Rudi Garcia’s team played out a disappointing goalless draw against North Macedonia in their last home outing, but prior to that, they had scored 13 goals in their last three home games.
• Liechtenstein are the only UEFA Nation that has not scored a goal in World Cup Qualifiers.

Player to Watch

Jeremy Doku

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The 23-year-old winger has been on fire in the ongoing campaign. He has been the standout performer for Manchester City in the Premier League. While Doku only has three goals and four assists in his 16 outings, his overall impact has been exceptional.

The youngster’s ability to take on defenders, his pace and creativity will cause a lot of problems for Liechtenstein’s defence. The visitors will surely find it very difficult to keep him quiet, and it won’t be much of a surprise if he ends up bagging a goal or two.

Prediction

Belgium 4-0 Liechtenstein

Belgium are the overwhelming favourites heading into their final qualifier, and this should be a straightforward outing for Rudi Garcia’s men. Despite being held to a frustrating draw by Kazakhstan, the Red Devils have been in control throughout the campaign and will be eager to finish the job in style.

For Liechtenstein, the objective will be damage limitation. They remain the only side in the group without a point or a goal, and facing a team of Belgium’s quality away from home makes their task even more daunting.

While the visitors showed some defensive resilience in the narrow defeat to Wales, keeping this Belgian attack at bay for 90 minutes looks highly unlikely. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 4-0 win for Rudi Garcia and his charges.