Gibraltar vs Belgium Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

Gibraltar have had a bit of a baptism of fire into competitive football since their debut in 2014. The tiny nation lost their first ever game 4-1 at home to the Faroe Islands, and since then they have lost a further 16 matches, drawing twice and winning once against Malta.

This continued on Friday when Estonia hosted them and came away with a 4-0 win under their belts. This followed on from a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Greece, and it looks extremely likely that they will be finishing bottom of their qualifying group again this time round.

The Euro 2016 qualifiers were their first ever tournament appearance, and they showed their lack of quality and experience as they finished bottom of the group with zero points. They conceded a ridiculous 56 goals in these ten games, scoring just two at the other end. To be fair they are the lowest rated team in Europe according to FIFA rankings.

Belgium, on the other hand, are one of the best teams in the world according to FIFA. In terms of player quality that is indisputable, with the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Radja Nainggolan, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku providing world class quality throughout the team.

They have so far failed to deliver on the big stage. They muddled through the group stages in Euro 2016 before eventually going out in the quarter finals to underdogs Wales. Roberto Martinez was subsequently appointed as the new manager, with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry his assistant.

Their reign didn’t get off to the best of starts as they were booed off the pitch after a 2-0 loss at home to Spain. Competitively they were better though, beating Cyprus 3-0 and Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-0 in their opening two games. They are surefire favourites for the top spot in this group too, with their closest competitors being Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Gibraltar have been predictably shocking since their entry into the tournament. They have lost by four of more goals in 11 of their last 13 games, so another thrashing is expected here.