Belgium vs. Wales: Tactical Preview of Euro 2016 Qualifier

The Euro 2016 qualifying fun continues with Belgium hosting Wales in Group B on Sunday evening.

Both sides are unbeaten, and the Welsh currently top the group. A 0-0 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina stands as their most impressive result as Chris Coleman seeks to return his nation to relevance on the international football stage.

How will this one play out tactically? Let's take a look.

Belgium Setup

Belgium have injuries plaguing their back line, enforcing unwelcome changes to Marc Wilmots' approach. Remember the World Cup back line of Toby Alderweireld (RB), Daniel Van Buyten (CB), Vincent Kompany (CB) and Thomas Vermaelen (LB)? We're not even close to that; one's retired, two are injured.

According to John Chapman at Belgofoot.be, Jan Vertonghen will play on the left, Alderweireld will switch inside, Nicolas Lombaerts of Zenit Saint Petersburg will come in and Anthony Vanden Borre will deputise on the right.

In midfield, Radja Nainggolan and Marouane Fellaini will fight for the right to partner Axel Witsel and Kevin de Bruyne. Up front, Divock Origi and Christian Benteke will tussle for a place ahead of Nacer Chadli and Eden Hazard.

Wales Setup

Gareth Bale will be the danger man for Wales against a few former team-mates, and Chadli spiced things up a little ahead of the game by suggesting the "ghost of Gareth Bale" still haunts White Hart Lane. Presumably, that's something to do with the club's underachievement since his exit.

Chris Coleman will strike up a 4-3-3/4-5-1 (depending on how you wish to frame it), with one striker, five workers in midfield and a deep defensive line.

The good news is that the defenders are very familiar with one another. Ashley Williams, Neil Taylor, James Chester and Chris Gunter are all expected to line up. Wales' other world-class player Aaron Ramsey will play in midfield with Joe Allen and Joe Ledley.

Up top, expect some movement across the front three of Bale, Hal Robson-Kanu and David Cotterill.

Tactical Point 1: Pattern of the Game

At the World Cup, we saw a lot of sterile possession from Belgium and not a lot of punch. They're going to meet similar defensive blockades against Wales, who will sit in, absorb and try to counter-attack.

This is where Wilmots' plan B emerges—and no, we're not talking about throwing on Marouane Fellaini. Wilmots was robbed of Christian Benteke in the summer, and neither Romelu Lukaku or Origi were able to replicate what the Aston Villa striker can do.

Hold-up and link-up play in tight spaces has become his forte; he's not just a bruising battering ram (something you could perhaps say of Lukaku). Against a low block and a disciplined midfield, Benteke in tight spaces could be the key.

Tactical Point 2: Vanden Borre Roaming

A central-defensive injury crisis has whittled Wilmots' options down considerably in the middle, and Vanden Borre coming into the XI in this particular instance is not good news for the Red Devils.

He's a good player, but he's the antithesis of the careful Belgium team. He runs off, abandoning defensive duties, and he is sometimes in the hunt for goals at the other end of the pitch; for Anderlecht against Arsenal, he scored the Belgian side's first as the last man from a cross a whole two yards offside.

Enter Gareth Bale.

If there's space to found on Vanden Borre's side, Bale needs to play there. Not only will he actually work hard in tracking him, blocking his route forward, but you can be guaranteed Bale will smoke him on the counter as he opens his stride.

Witsel, in covering the holes, will have a seriously tough assignment; he's absolutely no match for Bale athletically—none of the Red Devils squad are.

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