The basics
The game kicks off at 8pm BST on Saturday, June 12 and, in the UK, will be televised on ITV.
In the United States the match will be shown on ESPN/Univision.
The match will take place at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg.
The reason to watch
Belgium will be playing the World Cup 2018 hosts in the same stadium where they earned their third-placed finish at that tournament.
With world-class talent such as Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard on display, it has the potential of being a chance for the side to truly flex their muscles, particularly considering Russia have come into the tournament in a poor run of form.
Yet, Russia surprised many with how they performed during the World Cup and any hopes for an upset will be pinned on Artem Dzyuba, who is prolific on the international stage with better than a goal every two games.
Any history?
Both sides were in the same qualifying group for Euro 2020, with Belgium winning their two meetings 3-1 and 4-1.
Historically, the two sides have met seven times, with Belgium winning five times along with two draws.
Key statistic
Belgium have lost only twice in 30 games since their defeat to France in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which also took place in Saint Petersburg.
Our prediction
All but one person in our newsroom have backed Belgium to win this one — that’s a whopping 98 per cent.
The key question
Have Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ made good on their considerable talent? Or, given the players they have at their disposal, have they underachieved thus far?
Let us know your thoughts below!
(Photo: By Getty Images, design by Tom Slator)
