BELGIUM's Euro 2020 campaign begins with a trip to St Petersburg to take on Russia at the Krestovsky Stadium on Saturday night.
The Red Devils are among the favourites to win Euro 2020 (15/2, UniBet) and rightly so given that they possess some of the most talented individuals on the planet.
However, Belgium's “Golden Generation” are yet to win a major trophy and this feels like the last chance saloon for Roberto Martinez's star-studded side.
The Belgians finished third in the 2018 World Cup and they should be raring to go after a dazzling qualifying campaign that saw them post a perfect 10 wins from 10.
Russia will also have high hopes following their exploits as World Cup hosts three years ago, not to mention two of their games in the group stage will be played on home soil.
Stanislav Cherchesov has named a youthful squad for this Summer's showpiece but that coupled with their poor defensive record suggests that third place in Group B could be their limit.
Outright Betting
Belgium have won eight of their last nine group games at major tournaments and the Red Devils are red-hot favourites here at 4/6 with Bet 365.
Russia lost twice to Belgium in qualification and the bookies odds suggest that trend is set to continue with the Russians 9/2 outsiders with SportNation and the draw is priced up at 3/1 with Bet 365.
Betting Angles
Among the favourites to finish as the tournament's top goalscorer, Romelu Lukaku looks nicely priced at 7/5 (BetVictor) to get on the scoresheet in St Petersburg on Saturday night.
Fresh off the back of inspiring Inter Milan to the Serie A title with a glut of goals, Lukaku enters this summer's showpiece in the form of his life.
The powerful forward has found the back of the net an eye-catching 20 times across his last 21 international appearances and he is the country's all-time top scorer with 60 strikes.
That remarkable goal return does not bode well for a Russian rearguard that have failed to register a clean sheet in nine of their last 11 international assignments.
What's more, the Belgian goal-getter made the net bulge at this venue in a Nations League tie in November 2019 and he is a tempting play at the aforementioned price to repeat the trick on Saturday night.
Whether or not Lukaku notches remains to be seen, but either way, Belgium should hit the ground running with three points in Russia on Saturday.
The Red Devils look a bit too short to side with at the aforementioned odds so I will head to the Bet 365 Bet Builder market to get a bigger price.
If we combine Belgium to win along with over two Belgium corners, we can get some 20/23 (Bet 365) and that looks like a nice way in.
Both Belgium wing-backs play a key role in Martinez's preferred system by providing width, not to mention the above-mentioned combination has clicked in eight of their last nine triumphs.
This Euro 2020 match between Belgium and Russia will be played on Jun 12, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Belgium vs Russia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.