BELGIUM will attempt to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in their opening fixture as they battle Romania in a Group E clash. The Romanians will be feeling confident after an impressive win but face a wounded Belgian side, who will be desperate to set things right.
Belgium will be targeting a swift return to winning ways after being stunned 1-0 by Slovakia in their opening Group B fixture. Domenico Tedesco’s men struggled to find a way back into the contest after falling behind early and had two goals chalked off by VAR.
The Belgians will take some of the positives from their performance and will be keen to re-establish their status as one of the pre-tournament favourites. They do have a solid group stage record at the Euros, winning five of the last six matches across the last two tournaments.
Romania will head into Saturday’s clash with plenty of confidence after claiming a 3-0 victory over Ukraine in their opening fixture. Nicolae Stanciu opened the scoring in the first half while Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus added further goals after the break.
That was the first group stage win since 2000 for Romania, who did not even qualify for the 2020 edition. Edward Iordanescu’s men had also struggled in the build up to the competition, failing to win their previous four matches.
How the bookies view it: Belgium to rebound
Belgium are still considered overwhelming favourites and are priced at 4/9 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Romania is valued at 13/2 while Betfred is also offering odds of 7/2 for a draw.
Head to head: Romania on top
Romania have a 3-2 advantage with two draws from seven previous matches against Belgium. The last meeting between both teams was a friendly in 2012 which ended 2-1 in favour of the Romanians.
Last five H2H duels:
- 14/11/2012 (International Friendly) – Romania 2-1 Belgium
- 11/11/2011 (International Friendly) – Belgium 2-1 Romania
- 28/04/1999 (International Friendly) – Romania 1-0 Belgium
- 13/10/1993 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Romania 2-1 Belgium
- 14/10/1992 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Belgium 1-0 Romania
Players to watch: Lukaku to find his range
Romelu Lukaku will consider himself unlucky in the opening fixture after having two goals ruled out by VAR. He remains the biggest goal threat for Belgium and is priced at 5/6 by Betfred to find the net on Saturday.
Romania showed their attacking prowess in the opening fixture, with Denis Dragus particularly impressive. Having opened the scoring last time out, the forward could be worth keeping an eye on at 18/5 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Striker Lois Openda was impressive off the bench last time out and could be given a start on Saturday. Youri Tielemans is also in line to feature after making a second half appearance in the opening fixture.
Given their impressive showing in the opening fixture, Romania are unlikely to make changes to the team. Denis Dragus should lead the line once again, with Nicolae Stanciu providing support.
Belgium: Casteels, Carrasco, Faes, Debast, Castagne, Onana, Tielemans, De Bruyne, Trossard, Openda, Lukaku
Romania: Nita, Banciu, Burca, Dragusin, Ratiu, Marin, Coman, Stanciu, Marin, Man, Dragus
Anything else catch the eye?
Belgium have plenty of quality in attack and given Romania’s display in their opening fixture, both teams could be backed to score at 10/11 with Betfred. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 8/11 with Betfred, who is also offering 2/1 for over 3.5 goals.
Given Belgium's attacking quality, they could be backed to score in both halves at 6/5 with Betfred. The Belgians are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, so a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered at 6/5 with Betfred.
This Euro 2024 match between Belgium and Romania will be played on Jun 22, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Belgium vs Romania prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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