Belgium vs Italy: UEFA Nations League A Grp. 1 team news and line-ups

Belgium and Italy have confirmed their starting line-ups for Sunday's UEFA Nations League A Group 1 finale at the Stade Roi Baudouin, and both managers have landed on the same shape: 4-3-3. Mark van Bommel and Roberto Mancini each get the wide forwards high and the midfield three narrow, which sets up a game where the first task for either side is winning the middle third before the front lines can be found.

Belgium's 4-3-3 asks the full-backs to provide the width while the wide forwards drift inside. That puts a heavy load on the central midfielders to cover the channels when Italy turn possession over. Italy's 4-3-3 is built to press the first pass and force the ball wide, where the front three can trap it against the touchline. With both teams in the same structure, the match becomes a question of who can play through the middle and who has to go around it.

Alessandro Bastoni starts in Italy's back line. He is the defender most comfortable stepping into midfield with the ball, and against a Belgium side that will look to press the central lane, his first pass is the escape route. Brandon Mechele starts for Belgium at the other end, and his job is to hold the line when Italy's front three rotate. Neither side has a spare man at the back in this shape, so every turnover in midfield is a direct test of the centre-backs.

Charles De Ketelaere starts for Belgium. He is the link between the midfield three and the front three, and in a 4-3-3 against a 4-3-3, the player in that pocket is the one who makes the shape work. If Italy's midfield can screen him, Belgium's wide forwards get isolated. If he can turn, Italy's back four has to decide whether to step or drop, and that is where gaps appear.

Diego Moreira starts wide for Belgium. His direct running is the counterweight to De Ketelaere's passing, and it gives Belgium a way to attack without needing to break Italy's midfield block. Francesco Pio Esposito starts for Italy. He is the youngest of the attacking names confirmed, and his movement across the line will test Mechele and the Belgium back four. Italy's front three will not stay in fixed positions; Esposito's job is to drag the centre-backs out and open the space for the wide forwards.

This is the final round of the group, and Italy can still finish top. Roberto Mancini said before the match: "It won't be easy, but we can also finish top of the group. Line-up? I have clear ideas, but it depends on the lads' fitness." The line-up he has chosen is a 4-3-3 with Esposito through the middle, which suggests Italy will press rather than sit. Belgium, at home, have matched the shape rather than changing it, which means Van Bommel is backing his midfield to win the ball high and his wide forwards to run at Italy's full-backs.

Kick-off is at 7:45pm BST. The group table will be settled by the end of the night, and with both teams in identical shapes, the first goal will force one of them to change. Until then, the match is a test of which midfield three can hold its shape longer.