Belgium and Slovakia will kick off their Euro 2024 Group E campaigns on Monday evening with a match at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt. Both teams are eager to start their campaigns with a victory in what promises to be an intriguing encounter.
Belgium enters Euro 2024 without the tag of favorites, but under the management of Domenico Tedesco, they have the potential to surprise. The Red Devils secured friendly wins against Montenegro and Luxembourg, scoring five goals without conceding. They are unbeaten in all competitions since their 2022 World Cup group stage exit.
Historically, Belgium’s best performance in the European Championship was in 1980 when they finished as runners-up. Tedesco’s team, favorites to top Group E, will face Romania next on June 22, followed by Ukraine on June 26.
Slovakia aims to secure at least second place in Group E, with a strong third-place finish also potentially leading to the knockout rounds. Slovakia hasn’t reached a World Cup final since 2010 but competed in Euro 2020, exiting in the group stage. They enter Euro 2024 with momentum from 4-0 friendly wins over San Marino and Wales. Slovakia’s best European Championship performance was reaching the last 16 in 2016.
Slovakia has never defeated Belgium, with the Red Devils winning one of their three previous encounters, the last being a friendly in February 2013.
Belgium is expected to be without Jan Vertonghen and Arthur Theate due to injuries, and Thomas Meunier remains a doubt. The team is likely to deploy a 3-4-2-1 formation with Romelu Lukaku leading the line. Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time top scorer, will be crucial for their success. Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne are also set to start, with Club Brugge’s Maxim De Cuyper possibly making his third national team appearance.
In midfield, Everton’s Amadou Onana is expected to partner with Orel Mangala, while Axel Witsel might operate in defense alongside Leicester City’s Wout Faes.
Slovakia’s Denis Vavro is recovering from a thigh issue but should start. Juraj Kucka is expected to play despite recent injuries, while Robert Bozenik, who has seven international goals, will feature in the attack. Key players include Paris Saint-Germain defender Milan Skriniar and midfielder Ondrej Duda, Slovakia’s leading scorer with 13 goals. Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka is set to earn his 56th cap.
While Slovakia can make this a challenging match for Belgium, the Red Devils’ superior attacking talent is likely to secure them a narrow victory. Belgium 2-1 Slovakia.
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