Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifying match.
Belarus’ recent performances merit positive conclusions. Since the start of the year, they have won three of four matches, including a victory over Turkey, so the players will not fear the level of the opposition against Belgium.
Belarus U21
Most football analysts will have pencilled Belarus in as outsiders in Group I, with Wales another underdog. On the other hand, head coach Vitaliy Pavlov has named a competitive squad for the September camp — this includes Artem Shumanskiy, back-up Ruslan Myalkovskiy, and defender Nikita Baranok. Since the coaching change, Belarus have attacked in numbers — in 2025 they have scored 10 goals across four matches.
Belgium U21
Belgium undoubtedly have a more experienced and skilful squad, but there are weak points. They rely on the partnership of Arthur Vermeeren and Samuel Mbangula, whereas Arthur Vermeeren and Julien Julien Duranville miss this camp through injury. Without a dribbling threat on the flanks, the Belgians are likely to create fewer goal-scoring chances. The team did not reach the summer finals of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, losing to the Czech Republic in the play-offs (1:3 on aggregate).
Belarus U21 vs Belgium U21 Prediction
At a neutral venue in Georgia, Belarus will not have the benefit of home support, yet Belgium are also short of their best line-up. We think the underdogs can make this competitive — we will take them on the handicap.
