EURO Preview: Belgium’s Defense Looms with Injury Concerns, Slovakia a Force to be Reckoned With

On June 18 at 00:00, the first round of Group E in the European Championship sees Belgium take on Slovakia.

Qualification Journey

Belgium went unbeaten in their Euro qualifiers, securing 6 wins and 2 draws, amassing 20 points to top their group. They have now finished first in their major tournament qualifiers for six consecutive times, extending their unbeaten streak in World Cup and Euro qualifiers to 40 games (35 wins, 5 draws).

Slovakia won 7 of their 10 Euro qualifying matches, losing only to Portugal, ultimately qualifying as group runners-up.

European Championship Record

Since losing to West Germany in the final in 1980 (their best performance in the tournament), Belgium has not reached the semi-finals of the European Championship and was eliminated in the quarter-finals in the last two editions. They haven’t had a draw in their last 17 European Championship matches (9 wins, 8 losses).

This will be Slovakia’s fourth major tournament appearance since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, with their best result being the Round of 16. In their previous two European Championship participations, they won only 2 out of 7 matches (1 draw, 4 losses), both 2-1 victories against Russia in 2016 and Poland in 2020.

Recent Form

Belgium is unbeaten in their last 15 matches across all competitions (10 wins, 5 draws), with their last defeat dating back to a 0-2 loss to Morocco in the 2022 World Cup group stage. Slovakia has lost only once in their last 7 fixtures (5 wins, 1 draw), including a 4-0 friendly win over Wales ahead of this Euro campaign.

Head-to-Head

This will mark the first official encounter between Belgium and Slovakia. However, they have previously met in three friendlies. They drew 1-1 in 2002 and again in 2006, with Belgium triumphing 2-1 in their last meeting in 2013.

Injury and Suspension News

On the Belgian side, defenders Vertonghen, Tete, and Meunier are all injury doubts. However, key midfielders Witsel, Doku, De Bruyne, and Lukaku are fit and ready. For Slovakia, central defender Vavro is receiving treatment for a minor thigh issue but is expected to start against Belgium. Juhai Kucka should also recover from recent injury concerns. The rest of the squad is reported to be injury-free and available for selection.

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