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Football London
Football London
Sport
Hannah Pinnock

Who are Belgium? The lowdown on Lionesses' opponent in final Arnold Clark Cup clash

The Lionesses will have the chance to retain their Arnold Clark Cup title against Belgium on Wednesday evening with both teams going into the game having won their opening two games.

England followed up their 4-0 thrashing of South Korea with a 2-1 win over Italy, who were beaten by Belgium by the same score on the opening day. The Belgians second game saw them battle through a late Korean challenge to win 2-1.

Last year, England finished top of the standings above Canada, Spain and Germany and this year they'll hope to once again secure the silverware as they build towards the World Cup in the summer.

READ NOW: England legend Jill Scott says Arnold Clark Cup gave Lionesses belief to win Euros

Sarina Wiegman's side will take on the Belgian Red Flames at Bristol City's Ashton Gate on the final matchday of the tournament. We've taken a closer look at the opponents and the threat they could present the Lionesses.

Who are Belgium?

The Belgium women's national team, commonly known as the Red Flames, is governed by the Royal Belgian Football Association and they reached their first-ever major tournament only a few years ago at Euro 2017.

There was a period of decline for the nation over a 20-year period between 1990 and 2011, where they failed to qualify for any major tournaments. They came agonisingly close to securing a place at the 2003 Women's World Cup, but finished second in their group behind Scotland.

At their first tournament in 2017, Belgium finished third in their group behind the Netherlands and Denmark. The Euros last summer was only Belgium's second appearance in the competition and they progressed to the knockout stages, but were beaten by Sweden at the quarter-final stage.

The Red Flames are yet to qualify for a Women's World Cup as they narrowly missed out to Switzerland in 2019. They also failed to qualify for the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer.

Who is the manager?

50-year-old Ives Serneels is the current manager of the national team and he's been in charge since 2011, overseeing the vast improvements over the last decade.

The former professional footballer played for various clubs in Belgium between 1990 and 2004 before he announced his retirement from playing. His managerial career saw him take charge of youth and women's teams at his former clubs, including where he spent the majority of his playing career at Lierse S.K.

Who are their star players?

Arguably Belgium's best-ever player is forward Tessa Wullaert, who remains their top goalscorer of all time with 69 goals for the senior national team. The 29-year-old has played across Europe for clubs in Belgium, Germany and France.

She also had a spell in the WSL with Manchester City between 2018 and 2020 where she made 31 appearances and scored six goals in all competitions. She currently players her football in the Netherlands with Eredivisie Vrouwen side Fortuna Sittard.

Janice Cayman, who has over 130 caps, has played for French giants Lyon since 2019 and she has the most caps of any player for the Belgium women's national team. 30-year-old Justine Vanhaevermaet is another recognisable face as she plays her football for WSL side Reading and has done since 2021.

Form guide

In their last game of 2022 in November, Belgium recorded a 7-0 victory over Slovakia in a friendly. However, in their World Cup qualifying campaign in September and October, they were narrowly beaten by Sweden and Portugal.

The Red Flames have won just two of their last five games, with three defeats and no draws.

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