Nations League: England vs Belgium – facts and stats ahead of key fixture
It’s not been the most convincing start to the Nations League for the Lionesses, but tonight they’ll be looking to get back to their winning ways as they host Belgium in Leicester.
The European champions defeated Scotland in Sunderland to open their Nations League campaign but then suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands.
It puts the 2023 World Cup runners-up in third place in Group A1 ahead of the double-header against Belgium – who lead the group on four points following a win against Scotland and a draw against the Netherlands.
The Lionesses must win their group to advance to the Nations League Finals and must then get through to the semi-finals for Team GB to qualify for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Key facts and stats
Here are some key stats ahead of tonight’s key fixture:
- England have won their last two games against Belgium, both under Sarina Wiegman, winning 3-0 at Molineux in a friendly in June 2022 and 6-1 at Ashton Gate in the Arnold Clark Cup in February 2023.
- Belgium’s only victory against England was in a 1980 friendly match, winning 2-1 in Ostende. On English soil, they have lost five of their six games against the Lionesses, drawing one.
- England have lost two of their last three matches, more than in their previous 38 matches under Sarina Wiegman (W30 D7 L1). The Lionesses haven’t lost consecutive games since April 2021, when they lost to France and Canada.
- This will be England’s first-ever game at the King Power Stadium. They did play one game at Leicester City’s old ground, Filbert Street, in September 1980, drawing 1-1 with Sweden in a friendly.
- Belgium have won just one of their last six matches in all competitions – drawing two and losing the other three – but it was a 2-1 win over the Netherlands on matchday one of the UEFA Women’s Nations League, meaning they currently top the group.
- England haven’t lost a competitive international on English soil since a 1-0 defeat to Sweden at Ewood Park in June 2005 at the European Championship finals. They are unbeaten in 49 games since (W42 D7). Across those 49 games, they have scored 188 goals and conceded just nine times.
- Alessia Russo has scored four goals in her last six England international appearances. She netted in England’s 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands on matchday two of the UEFA Women’s Nations League, the first time she’d scored in and lost a Lionesses match (W11 L1).
- Lauren Hemp has been involved in five goals in her last seven England appearances (4 goals, 1 assist). Since Sarina Wiegman’s first game, only Beth Mead (21 goals, 18 assists) has been involved in more goals for the Lionesses than Hemp (14 goals, 13 assists).