Belgium is the headlining name in Group E of the 2024 European championships, with Domenico Tedesco who took over the job permanently in February 2023 as manager. The German-Italian manager is at the wheel as the last members of the Red Devils’ so-called golden generation finally look to deliver on their promise of major international glory.
Belgium has struggled to live up to its status as one of the most talented nations in world football in the European Championship. After reaching the final in 1980, they have yet to replicate that success and have only reached the quarter-finals in recent editions.
However, they will be pleased with the draw for the 2024 tournament, with Romania their only major obstacle in Group E. Romania has the worst record at the Euros of any country to compete in more than one edition, winning just once in 16 games. If Belgium are to live up to their potential finally, this could be the tournament to do it.
Slovakia have not had the best of records at major tournaments, with just two wins and four losses in their seven matches at the Euros. They have also struggled to find the back of the net, failing to score in four of their last five games.
Despite these struggles, they have qualified for their fourth major tournament in a row, and their record of never failing to qualify from the group stage at the Euros will be a source of pride. Ukraine, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iceland are the other teams in contention for the final spot in Group E. However, Slovakia will be determined to defend their status on this occasion.
Across qualification, the central Europe outfit recorded only 2 losses, both of which came to Roberto Martinez’s high-flying Portugal, the only team that recorded a perfect campaign in qualification winning 10 of their 10 games. The Slovaks recorded 7 wins and pulled only one draw across their very interesting performances, earning them a whooping 22 points, 5 clear of third-placed Luxembourg.
The Red Devils ended their campaign with an emphatic 5-nil victory over 114th-placed Azerbaijan. Boasting on their roster the top-scoring player in qualification Romelu Lukaku with 14 goals in 8 appearances, they pipped Ralf Rangnick’s Austria to the top spot by just one point.
Winning 6 games and drawing the remainder 2, the Belgians will head into the tournament heavy on form and with the expertise of Thibaut Courtois, Kevin de Bruyne, and Jans Vertonghen still on offer from their golden generation, left to see how if they finally will break their awful fate and attain long overdue international glory.
In terms of head-to-head, there have been just 3 encounters between the nations. Belgium came out on top in one encounter and the other two ended in full-time draws. Across those games, the Slovaks have scored 3 and conceded 4 at the hands of their Belgian compatriots.
Match Tickets
The clash between Belgium and Slovakia will occur at the Frankfurt Arena on 17th June 2024, at 17:00, home to Eintracht Frankfurt and has a long history of hosting major sporting events.
The arena was built in 1925 and has hosted games at two European Championships and one World Cup.
Belgium vs Slovakia tickets are primarily available through UEFA’s official ticketing portal and are distributed through a lottery system. Each applicant can apply for a maximum of four tickets per match and only request one match daily. The tournament will last a month so applicants can request up to 88 tickets. The ticketing system aims to ensure fairness in allocation.
Team News
Line ups
Former RB Leipzig manager Tedesco has structured his team around the core of senior players Vertonghen, Courtois, Lukaku, and De Bruyne, gradually easing young players like Rennes’ Arthur Theate, RB Leipzig’s Ikoma Lois Openda, PSV Eindhoven’s Johan Bakayoko, explosive Manchester city winger Jeremy Doku and formerly fringe players like Leandro Trossard, and Youri Tielemans to create a team worthy of competing for glory.
Thibaut Courtois’ long-term injury early in the 23/24 season has given Wolfsburg veteran Koen Casteels the upper hand in goal for the latter part of the qualification campaign. Luton Town’s Thomas Kaminski is also worthy of a place in the tournament squad considering his heroics for the newly promoted PL side.
Belgium XI – Casteels; Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Castagne, Onana, Mangala, Doku; De Bruyne, Lukaku, Trossard. (3-4-3).
Paris Saint Germain’s Milan Skriniar has taken up Marek Hamsik’s armband and will lead the side from the back with support from Feyenoord Rotterdam’s title-winning center-back David Hancko and Newcastle united second-choice goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. Much of Francesco Calzona’s gameplay, the manager who is just in his first senior managerial role with his only previous appointment being an assistant coach at Cagliari is heavily reliant on the individual brilliance of Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka and former AC Milan Juraj Kucka who will likely feature in his last major tournament for the team in summer 2024. Boavista’s Robert Bozenik and Sparta Prague’s Lukas Haraslin are their bright spots in attack. The latter scored 3 goals in his 5 starts across qualification.
Slovakia XI – Dubravka; Tomic, Gyomber, Skriniar, Hancko; Duda, Lobotka, Kucka; Mak, Bozenik, Haraslin (4-3-3).
Prediction
The quality on offer to the Red Devils of Belgium will likely give them the edge in a keenly contested game. This tournament could define many things for the Belgians, who will be keen to make a mark with the last set of their golden generation.
Belgium 5-1 Slovakia
