The stakes will be high in Cologne on Saturday evening when Belgium face Romania at RheinEnergieStadion, with the two nations having very mixed fortunes in their opening matches.
Before the tournament began, it would not have been a hot take to say that heading into this fixture, one of these teams would be on three points, while the other would be desperate for a win after a disappointing performance in their opening match.
However, very few would have expected the team full of confidence to be Romania, and the team in trouble after a disappointing defeat to be Belgium.
The Red Devil's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages now hang in the balance after their shock 1-0 defeat to Slovakia, a game that saw Romelu Lukaku have two goals ruled out by VAR on what was a frustrating afternoon.
Despite the disappointing result, Domenico Tedesco's men have the chance to get their EURO 2024 campaign back on track with a win over Romania, but a defeat would be a catastrophic blow to their hopes of qualifying from Group E.
As for Romania, their confidence will be sky-high after their impressive 3-0 win over Ukraine in Munich, only their second-ever win at the European Championships.
They head into Saturday’s game knowing they will qualify for the Round of 16, at least as a best third-place team, should they beat Belgium.
Despite there being 44 places between Belgium (3) and Romania (47) in the FIFA world rankings, the head-to-head between the two teams is very tight, with both sides having won five games each.
The last time they met was in a friendly back in November 2012 where Romania prevailed in a 2-1 win, a result that the fans of The Tricolorii will be hoping for a repeat of on Saturday.
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Team News
Tedesco opted to play Yannick Carrasco at left-back against Slovakia in place of the injured Thomas Meunier, and it looks as though this is set to be the case again against Romania.
Meunier is still in Belgium and is hoping to get back full fitness, with Tedesco saying this week that he expects the full-back to join up with the squad at the start of next week.
While Meunier is the only injury concern, Tedesco does have a selection dilemma at the other end of the pitch. Leandro Trossard had a poor game against Slovakia compared to his usual high standards, while both Johan Bakayoko and Loïs Openda made positive impacts when they came off the bench.
The question is, does Tedesco stick with Trossard and give him another chance, or will he be tempted to switch things up with Belgium’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages on the line?
The Tricolorii are still waiting on veteran striker Denis Alibec to return to full fitness, although his replacement Denis Drăguș had a fantastic game against Ukraine as he scored Romania’s third and final goal in the 3-0 win.
Other than Alibec, there are no new injury concerns for Romania, meaning Edward Iordănescu is likely to go with the same lineup that performed so well against Ukraine.
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Likely Lineups
Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Debast, Carrasco; Mangala, Onana; Doku, De Bruyne, Trossard; Lukaku
Niță; Rațiu, Drăgușin, Burcă, Bancu; M. Marin, R. Marin, Stanciu; Man, Drăguș, Coman
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Key Players
Belgium - Jérémy Doku
In a team full of big names, Jérémy Doku was Belgium’s biggest threat going forward against Slovakia.
Despite ending up on the losing side, he gave full-back David Hancko a torrid afternoon with his lightning-quick feet and devastating pace, and with Belgium relying heavily on Lukaku for goals, it’ll be down to Doku to supply the front-man against Romania.
Belgium are expected to have the majority of possession on Saturday evening and don’t be surprised if the majority of their play came down the right-hand side with Doku.
The 22-year-old had a promising debut season with Manchester City at club level, with his three goals and nine assists helping Pep Guardiola’s men to a fourth consecutive Premier League title. Belgium will now hope he can replicate his club form for his country as they bid to reignite their EURO 2024 campaign.
Romania - Radu Drăgușin
Given the depth of Belgium’s attacking talent, Romania’s defence will need to be on top form if they are to deny Tedesco’s men, and Radu Drăgușin will be at the heart of the Tricolorii’s backline on Saturday.
The Tottenham defender had a mammoth performance against Ukraine as he led by example, putting his body on the line on several occasions as he helped his side to a historic win.
Romania only conceded five goals in 10 games during their qualification campaign and backed that up in their opening game of EURO 2024. However, Belgium will likely pose a much bigger threat than Ukraine and Drăgușin will be key for Romania if they are to pull off an even bigger upset.
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Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The match will be played at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 20:00 BST on Saturday 22nd June.
How can I watch?
Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the match on ITV 1, with live coverage starting at 19:10 BST.
