Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how Belgium could line up for Saturday’s Euro 2024 Group E clash with Romania.
Belgium head coach Domenico Tedesco has a handful of defensive fitness doubts to work around for Saturday’s Euro 2024 Group E clash with Romania in Cologne.
Owing to their 1-0 loss to Slovakia on Monday, the Red Devils could see their hopes of topping the group evaporate before they return to action, as their recent conquerors take on Ukraine on Friday.
All of Tedesco’s starters and substitutes came out unblemished, aside from some bruised egos, but all of Thomas Meunier (thigh), Axel Witsel (adductor) and Jan Vertonghen were unable to play against Slovakia.
Meunier has already been ruled out until Belgium’s final group game at the earliest, while Witsel is also on the touch-and-go list, but Vertonghen has affirmed that he should be fit and raring to go.
The 37-year-old is an option for change at the back, but Timothy Castagne, Wout Faes and Zeno Debast are not in any danger of losing their spots in front of Koen Casteels, meaning that Vertonghen’s only real chance of a recall will come at left-back.
Yannick Carrasco was deployed in that position against Slovakia, but Rennes’ Arthur Theate is a more likely candidate to displace the Al-Shabab man, having often featured out wide during qualifying.
Amadou Onana and Kevin De Bruyne are engine room shoo-ins, but Tedesco may consider swapping out Orel Mangala for Youri Tielemans, although both men will incur a one-game ban if they are booked.
Despite the threat of Johan Bakayoko, Leandro Trossard and Jeremy Doku‘s spots should be safe either side of Romelu Lukaku, who had two goals chalked off against Slovakia in his latest major tournament sucker punch.
Belgium possible starting lineup:
Casteels; Castagne, Debast, Faes, Theate; Tielemans, Onana; Doku, De Bruyne, Trossard; Lukaku
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