Belgium Leans on Serie A Stars De Bruyne and Moreira for Nations League
Belgium will go into a pivotal Nations League window with a distinctly Italian flavour, as Mark van Bommel turns to a spine built in Serie A for November’s clashes with Turkiye and Italy.
Five players plying their trade in Italy make the latest squad, with Napoli’s Kevin De Bruyne and Milan’s derby match-winner Diego Moreira the standout names in a group still very much alive.
De Bruyne called amid Napoli turbulence
De Bruyne’s inclusion comes at a turbulent moment in his club season. Napoli have stumbled badly out of the blocks, losing seven of their first 14 competitive fixtures of 2026-27 and dropping two more games just in the last week.
Form like that would test any dressing room. For Belgium, though, De Bruyne remains the reference point, the player Van Bommel still trusts to set the tempo as the stakes rise in Group A.
Belgium sit third with six points from four games, one behind Italy and four adrift of leaders France. Turkiye, bottom without a point, await in Istanbul on Thursday, November 12, before Italy arrive in Brussels three days later in what could decide the group’s shape.
Moreira rides derby high into international break
If De Bruyne arrives under a cloud, Moreira joins up with the squad riding a surge of confidence. The Milan winger ripped through Inter in the derby della Madonnina last weekend, scoring once and laying on two more in a 3-1 win over the reigning Serie A champions at San Siro.
That performance did not just tilt a city. It underlined why Belgium see him as one of the key attacking weapons of this new cycle.
Milan’s Europa League defeat to Ferencvaros — a flat 2-0 reverse at San Siro — checked the club’s momentum, but Moreira only entered at half-time in that match. His domestic week will be remembered for the derby, not the European stumble.
De Ketelaere’s landmark in sight
Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere also earns a call and arrives with a personal milestone in view. The forward is targeting double figures for international goals during this break, a benchmark that would underline his evolution from promising prospect to consistent contributor in the national shirt.
He is joined by Parma midfielder Mandela Keita, whose steady rise in Serie A continues to catch the eye, and Bologna defender Arthur Theate, now a regular presence in Belgium’s back line.
Five players from one league, all in important roles. Van Bommel clearly likes what he sees from his Serie A contingent.
The stakes: France clear, Italy in sight
The table leaves little margin for error. France, on 10 points, have seized early control of the group. Italy follow on seven, with Belgium just behind on six and Turkiye cut adrift.
Beat Turkiye away and Belgium stay in the slipstream. Fail to do so, and the home showdown with Italy on November 15 could become a scramble rather than a statement.
Van Bommel has made his choice: trust the men hardened by Serie A battles — De Bruyne under pressure at Napoli, Moreira blazing a trail at Milan, De Ketelaere, Keita and Theate all carving out important roles — to drag Belgium back into the fight.
