Belgium vs. Poland Predictions: Two bets for Nations League clash

Belgium and Poland meet in Group D of the Nations League on Wednesday evening as the competition's second round of fixtures get underway.

There have been some shocks already since the international tournament restarted a week ago, but none quite as dramatic as the Netherlands' thumping of Belgium last Friday.

The second-highest ranked side in the world currently sit bottom of the group after their 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Louis van Gaal's men.

Poland, on the other hand, left it late to secure all three points against a Wales team who had their sights firmly set on the World Cup play-off final.

You'd have to go as far back as 2007 for the last time these two faced one another. Poland came out as 2-0 victors in that European Championship qualification match, having also bested Wednesday's opponents 1-0 in their previous fixture a year prior.

The first play we're opting for is to dip into the shots on target market, with Kevin De Bruyne the man we're fancying to register 2+ shots on target.

There wasn't an awful lot to separate Belgium from the Netherlands last Friday, except the most important statistic: the scoreline. However, KDB was his usual busy self, covering every blade of grass and letting off four attempts on goal.

This bet would have landed in that match, with him testing the keeper on two different occasions.

Add to that the sort of numbers he's produced for Manchester City this season - 15 goals from 25 starts, letting off 77 shots in total; 32 of which were on target. In his three most recent outings for club, the Belgian mustered 4, 4 and 6 shots in those games.

And although club form doesn't always transfer to the international stage - particularly when you play for the most dominant Premier League outfit - his advanced position only makes him a more potent threat in front of goal for the Red Devils.

Martinez deployed the 30-year-old in a false nine role in the previous match, allowing him more opportunities to occupy key areas in and around the opposition 18-yard box.

For a price comparison, Bet365 have this same line up at 7/4.

Then we're moving over to the anytime assist market and sticking with the Belgian theme, like the look of Yannick Carrasco to provide a goal for one of his teammates.

Roberto Martinez favours a 3-4-3 system, highly reliant on width both in attack and defence. Typically, this sees Carrasco occupy the left wing back position and Meunier the right.

This allows them to break quickly and in numbers; of which Carrasco is usually one of them - either as the ball carrier or supporting a teammate in a much more advanced position.

Carrasco's numbers in front of goal speak for themselves, with the 28-year-old posting six goals and six assists for Atletico this season.

Further on this, Carrasco is producing 3.71 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, compared to just 1.73 by teammate Meunier. He has also averaged just under 6 touches inside the attacking penalty area this season.

The wide man fits perfectly into this type of system, with not much difference in the fundamentals between the way Diego Simeone and Roberto Martinez set up their teams.