Belgium take on Slovakia Ukraine in the round 1 match of UEFA Euro-2024 in group E. The match will be played on Monday, June 17th at Deutsche Bank Park (Frankfurt).
Belgium have been gradually losing ground since their peak with a bronze medal in 2018. The aging of key players, coupled with the absence of new stars of similar caliber, has contributed to their decline. This was evident in their disappointing performance at the World Cup in Qatar, where they failed to advance past the group stage amidst reports of discord in the locker room. The task of revitalizing the team was handed to Domenico Tedesco, a young coach previously experienced only in club management, who replaced the dismissed Roberto Martínez. Under Tedesco, Belgium has remained unbeaten. In last year’s qualifiers, they only drew with Austria, and their match against Sweden was cut short due to a tragic terrorist attack. In 2024, Belgium failed to score against Ireland and squandered a lead over England in March. However, they secured clean-sheet victories against Montenegro (2-0) and Luxembourg (3-0) before the Euro.
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Slovakia confidently qualified for another continental tournament. The "Repre" consistently misses out on World Cup appearances, but qualifying for the Euros has been easier, and they succeeded again this time. Under Calzona, Slovakia lost both matches to Portugal in 2023, although the favorite narrowly secured victory in the final moments in one of those games. Slovakia's almost perfect results against weaker teams proved sufficient. They only drew 0-0 with Luxembourg in the first round but later defeated them and also won against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. This year started with a 0-2 home loss to Austria, followed by a 1-1 draw against Norway, thanks to an 87th-minute goal from Duda. Before the Euro, Slovakia managed to secure 4-0 wins against both San Marino and Wales.
The teams have drawn 1-1 twice. It wasn't until their third meeting that Belgium secured a 2-1 victory. Tedesco’s side is clearly stronger, even without Courtois, who wasn't selected by the coaching staff, and the injured Meunier. Slovakia might not expend much energy, possibly saving it for their next, less challenging opponents. We’re backing the "Red Devils" to win with a "-1 goal" handicap.
Prediction for the match: Belgium to win with -1.0 handicap.
