Sweden v Belgium Betting Tips [24 March 2023]

The UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers are set to get underway this week, and in one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of gameweek 1, we will see Sweden welcome Belgium to the Friends Arena in Stockholm for what should be an intriguing opening clash in Group F. The home side will be spurred on by the return of the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will be back in the national squad after over a year out. During his absence, Sweden went through a difficult patch, failing to qualify for the World Cup and finishing at the bottom of League B Group 4 in the UEFA Nations League last year. During the Nations League, they only managed to take four of a potential 18 points, with a record of one win, one draw, and four losses in their six matches. However, since then, Sweden’s form has taken a notable upturn, winning four consecutive friendlies over Mexico, Algeria, Finland, and Iceland. 

Belgium, while ranked fourth in the Fifa World rankings, is going through a bit of a transitional period with a few big players announcing their retirement in recent times, along with the long-time manager Roberto Martinez. The new-look Belgium will be coming into this tournament following a disastrous World Cup campaign, where they failed to make it out of the group stages in a group that included Morocco, Croatia, and Canada, despite being tipped to top the group prior to the tournament commencing. Belgium has won only one of their last five competitive matches, along with a draw and three losses. Belgium has the class in their ranks to break down any defense on their day but will need to tighten up at the back, where they’ve struggled for a while now.

Sweden’s attacking play has improved notably over the last few months, and they will be reinforced by the returning Ibrahimovic, who will also bring a great balance to the side. Belgium has more than enough firepower to score in this match, but it will be interesting to see if they’ve sorted out the recent issues that they’ve faced at the back. This one could go either way, but we expect there to be a few goals at either end. Therefore, our Sweden v Belgium prediction is for both teams to score.