Published : 03 Oct 2026, 09:07 PM
Updated : 03 Oct 2026, 09:07 PM
Belgium will be without captain Youri Tielemans and midfield talisman Kevin De Bruyne for Monday’s Nations League meeting with France after both players picked up suspensions.
The pair were booked in successive matches and must serve one-game bans in the final fixture of a four-match Nations League run spread over 10 days during the international window.
De Bruyne was Belgium’s standout player in Friday’s 3-0 home win over Turkey in Liege, scoring twice before being booked late in the match following an angry reaction to a foul.
“Kevin was simply frustrated and, in my opinion, didn’t even realise the consequences of the yellow card,” Belgium coach Mark van Bommel said.
The victory was Van Bommel’s second in his first three games since taking charge, although he said Belgium had been too careless in possession.
“We were very sloppy in possession,” Van Bommel said.
“As a result, we gave the opponent the feeling that they could create chances. Before our second goal, we didn’t string 20 passes together.
“It was a ping-pong match. It went back and forth for a long time, without me ever feeling that we were going to lose.
“But I think you saw an entertaining game. It’s just not something you like to see as a coach. Those things have to be eliminated. Then our level will improve and the opponent will have fewer opportunities to stay in the game.”
The 35-year-old De Bruyne scored twice against Turkey, while record scorer Romelu Lukaku, 33, came off the bench to net his 94th international goal.
“It’s great what they are still doing for the national team. Not only for themselves, but also for the rest of the team. On a good day, they pull the others along with them,” Van Bommel said of the veteran pair.
