Preview: Belgium vs. Burkina Faso - prediction, team news, lineups

Belgium will be bidding to return to winning ways when they take on Burkina Faso in an international friendly on Tuesday night.

The Red Devils played out a 2-2 draw with the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, while Burkina Faso will enter the contest off the back of a 5-0 defeat to Kosovo on Thursday.

Match preview

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Belgium came close to beating Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, with Hans Vanaken's 58th-minute effort separating the two sides until the 85th minute, when Alan Browne came up with the leveller.

Roberto Martinez's side will now be looking to put a victory on the board ahead of the start of their UEFA Nations League campaign, which comes at home to the Netherlands on June 3.

The Red Devils comfortably qualified for the finals of the 2022 World Cup, picking up 20 points from their eight matches to finish at the top of Group E ahead of Wales, and they will be looking to make an impression in the competition, having finished third at the 2018 edition of the tournament.

Belgium somewhat disappointed at Euro 2020, only reaching the quarter-finals, and they will be expected to advance into the knockout round of this year's World Cup.

Head coach Martinez decided to leave a number of regulars out of his latest squad in order to have a look at the other options available, and many will be looking to make a positive impression on Tuesday night.

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Burkina Faso, meanwhile, will enter this contest off the back of a 5-0 defeat to Kosovo in a friendly on Thursday, and they have actually lost their last three matches in all competitions.

Kamou Malo's side were in action at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, finishing fourth at the competition, losing 3-1 to Senegal in the semi-finals before being beaten by Cameroon on penalties in the third-place playoff.

Burkina Faso have never qualified for the finals of a World Cup, and they will not be present at the 2022 edition of the tournament, having finished second behind Algeria in Group A.

The Stallions recorded a 3-0 victory over Gabon in a friendly at the start of the year, but the five-goal loss to Kosovo on Thursday was certainly a setback for the national team.

Team News

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As mentioned, Belgium are without a number of regulars, with Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Yannick Carrasco, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku among those left out.

Head coach Martinez will make changes to his starting XI following the draw with Republic of Ireland, and there could be a spot between the sticks for Matz Sels, while Leandro Trossard might feature in the final third.

Thomas Foket is also pushing to be involved from the first whistle, while Adnan Januzaj could come into the attack; Wout Faes and Siebe Van der Heyden will also be pushing to make their debuts.

As for Burkina Faso, Aston Villa's Bertrand Traore was not involved in the heavy defeat to Kosovo, but the attacker is in line to feature for the visitors here.

Bayer Leverkusen's centre-back Edmond Tapsoba should also feature, while Cyrille Bayala is set to retain his spot in the final third of the field.

There will certainly be changes to the side that started against Kosovo, but Farid Ouedraogo will be hoping to keep his position between the sticks against the Red Devils.

Belgium possible starting lineup:
Sels; Denayer, Boyata, Theate; Foket, Dendoncker, Tielemans, T Hazard; Januzaj, Trossard, Vanaken

Burkina Faso possible starting lineup:
Ouedraogo; Yago, E Tapsoba, S Ouattara, Guiebre; Sangare, Guira, Badolo; B Traore, A Tapsoba, Bayala

We say: Belgium 2-1 Burkina Faso

Belgium's squad is far from full strength, but Martinez can still call upon a hugely talented group of players, and we are expecting the home side to have too much quality for their opponents in this contest.

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