Tipster
Loading ...
Belgium put their shock defeat to Slovakia behind them with a comfortable 2-0 win against Romania. Their tally of three points may not be enough to see them progress, and instead will need three points to potentially finish top of Group E.
Romelu Lukaku has been extremely unlucky so far at the EUROs, with three goals all ruled out for offside. VAR continues to cause plenty of controversy. However, Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans and Man City's Kevin De Bruyne showed they can step up and produce, and both will likely be a key part again vs Ukraine.
T
After Ukraine's very own shock defeat vs Romania, they dug deep to secure three vital points against Slovakia, Despite falling behind, two second half goals helped complete the turnaround and give themselves an outside chance of qualifiying.
Belgium may stand in the way of that, and the Red Devils will be Ukraine's biggest test, but if Slovakia can pull off an upset, their camp will be confident heading into their final group match.
Belgium's defeat against Slovakia was their first in 17 matches (2-0 vs Morocco) and many might suggest with that out of their system, they are now well-equipped to kick on and qualify.
Qualifying was a breeze for Martinez's men, pipping Austria to first place having beaten them 3-2 in their own back yard. A draw vs England at Wembley was another stand out result as the Red Devils prepared for this tournament.
Lukaku hasn't had much luck in front of goal, but his teammates have bailed him out. This may be the end of their golden generation, but there's plenty of life left in them for now.
Ukraine had to edge past Bosnia and Iceland to be here, which is arguably why they have found the group stage difficult so far. Although they held Germany to a 0-0 draw in a pre-tournament friendly, they were hammered 3-1 by Poland - a nation that has lost their opening two matches.
Their defeat vs Romania was concerning, and if Belgium are at it on the night, Ukraine could be on the way out before the tournament has sprung into life.
Belgium are odds-on to win their final group match vs Ukraine and it's not difficult to see why. Martinez will be desperate for the three points and hope to seal top spot in the group, carrying momentum into the knockout stage. However, there's work to do before they can get carried away.
Nations rarely go unbeaten when they lift the trophy and although Belgium fell to a 1-0 loss against Slovakia, they responded well against Romania. In order to win the EUROs, teams need to show character and leaders, and Belgium certainly have those within their camp - ageing or not.
Kevin De Bruyne in the heart of the midfield should be able to dominate Ukraine's, and it feels like it is only a matter of time before Lukaku finds the back of the net without VAR intervening. Ukraine have conceded four goals in their opening two matches, which is concerning, especially coming up against Belgium who scored 22 in qualifying to be here. The Red Devils arn't ready to go home just yet.
Two goals was enough to see off Romania, and that can be the case once again. Unlike Belgium, Ukraine don't have the quality and the leaders within their team to match Belgium and an upset looks unlikely here. Either way, this one looks like yet another entertaining clash for the neutral, and I'm tipping Belgium to win and over 1.5 match goals at EVS with bet365.
Users must be 18+. If you are having trouble with gambling then help and advice can be found at begambleaware.org. Please Play Responsibly.
Trading financial products carries a high risk to your capital, especially trading leverage products such as CFDs. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.