After dropping points last time out in the 2024 European Championship qualifiers, Belgium will be targeting a swift return to winning ways as they travel to Estonia for a Group F fixture. The Belgians have done some good work on the road lately and should be too strong for the hosts, who are still winless in this campaign.
Estonia are coming off a 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan in their previous qualifying fixture. They took the lead midway through the first half thanks to a Rauno Sappinen effort but were pegged back after the break.
While it was good to earn their first point in the qualifiers, manager Thomas Haberli will be disappointed to have thrown away the lead. A 2-1 defeat to Austria in their opening fixture means the Estonians are still without a win in Group F as they second from bottom on the standings.
Looking at their overall recent form, Estonia have only won once in their last five matches across all competitions. They have fared much better at home, winning their last three matches in front of their fans, although those results have come against minnows like Malta, Lithuania and San Marino.
Belgium also played out a draw in their previous qualifying fixture as they were held 1-1 by Austria. They fell behind in the first half after Orel Mangala put through his own net but Romelu Lukaku struck the equaliser midway through the second half.
While they are still unbeaten in the qualifiers, the result means Belgium are now playing second fiddle to Austria in Group F as they sit three points off the pace. However, Domenico Tedesco’s men have a game in hand and will be confident of usurping the group leaders.
One positive for Belgium ahead of Tuesday’s clash is that they have won their last two away matches in all competitions. They claimed a 3-0 victory over Sweden in their opening fixture in the qualifiers before beating Germany 3-2 in a friendly.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Belgium as overwhelming favourite with a win priced at 2/9 by Coral. Estonia are considered outsiders at home at 16/1 by William Hill while a draw is set at odds of 23/4 by 10bet.
Head to head
Belgium have a 7-1 advantage from eight previous matches against Estonia. The Belgians did the double over the Estonians during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, claiming a 5-2 victory at the A Le Coq Arena before picking up a 3-1 win at home.
Players to watch
Rauno Sappinen has scored both of Estonia’s goals in these qualifiers and will be the one to watch on Tuesday. The forward is priced at 5/1 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Having rediscovered his scoring touch in recent times, Romelu Lukaku has now found the net five times in his last three matches for Belgium. The striker also netted a brace in his last visit to the A Le Coq Arena and is priced at 4/5 by bet365 to get on the score sheet once again.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been goals for both teams in their last two meetings and a similar outcome is priced at 29/20 by Unibet. Both meetings produced over 3.5 goals which is valued at odds of 8/5 by Unibet.
Belgium have been generally comfortable in the last two meetings with Estonia and a -2 handicap can be considered at 15/8 with bet365. Given their attacking quality the Belgians are also expected to open the scoring on Tuesday with Lukaku the most likely candidate for the first goal at 3/1 by bet365.
This Euro 2024 match between Estonia and Belgium will be played on Jun 20, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Estonia vs Belgium prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
