Next up in our Euro 2024 Fantasy team previews is Belgium.
The Red Devils were quarter-finalists at the last two European Championships but failed to progress from the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
They have quickly rebuilt, however, and head coach Domenico Tedesco remains unbeaten since succeeding Roberto Martinez in February last year.
In these country-by-country guides, we’ll be looking at the best players from each nation, taking a stab at predicted line-ups, reviewing the road to Germany and more.
To do this, we’ll be calling on the help of correspondents from each country. Here, we hear from Fantasy Football Scout user Toon Heylen.
And new to these team previews is a Premium Members section detailing the official Opta data from Euro ’24 qualification. This data has recently arrived in our Members Area, so sign up today to gain access to the all-important stats you need for this summer’s Euro Fantasy game.
All prices given are from the official Fantasy Euro 2024 game.
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 4 | +18 | 20 |
| 2 | Austria | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 19 |
| 3 | Sweden | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 10 |
| 4 | Azerbaijan | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 7 |
| 5 | Estonia | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 22 | −20 | 1 |
Belgium breezed through qualifying, finishing top of Group F ahead of Austria, Sweden, Azerbaijan and Estonia.
The Red Devils won six and drew two of their eight matches, finishing with 20 points, in an unbeaten campaign that included 5-0 home wins over Estonia and Azerbaijan.
They also beat their main Group F rivals Austria 3-2 in October to confirm their place at a third successive European Championship.
The qualifier at home to Sweden counted as a 1-1 draw after the match was suspended at half-time and later abandoned after the fatal shooting of two Swedes in Brussels.
22 goals were scored overall while conceding just four.
Romelu Lukaku (€9.0m) was the top scorer in the qualification campaign, with a record 14 goals from eight starts. He scored in all but one of his appearances and put four past Azerbaijan in November, his second hat-trick of the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Elsewhere, versatile Rennes defender Arthur Theate (€4.5m) started every qualifier, as did Timothy Castagne (€5.0m), Wout Faes (€4.0m) and Lukaku.
Tedesco also utilised exciting young talents such as Jeremy Doku (€7.0m) and Johan Bakayoko (€7.0m), who chipped in with seven combined attacking returns.
QUALIFICATION IN NUMBERS
- Most starts: Timothy Castagne, Wout Faes, Romelu Lukaku, Arthur Theate (8)
- Most goals: Romelu Lukaku (14), Leandro Trossard, Dodi Lukebakio (2)
- Most assists: Jeremy Doku (4), Dodi Lukebakio, Yannick Carrasco, Orel Mangala (3)
- Clean sheets: 5 from 8
UNDERLYING STATS
RECORD SINCE QUALIFYING
| Date | Competition | Opposition | Result | Score | Goalscorers | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 March | Friendly | Republic of Ireland (a) | D | 0-0 | ||
| 26 March | Friendly | England (a) | D | 2-2 | Tielemans x2 | Onana, Lukaku |
| 5 June | Friendly | Montenegro (h) | W | 2-0 | De Bruyne, Trossard | Doku |
In March, Belgium played out a 0-0 draw with Republic of Ireland.
A much changed XI, missing Kevin De Bruyne (€9.5m) and Lukaku, struggled to create any clear-cut chances at the Aviva Stadium, with just four shots in the box.
However, their performance at Wembley a few days later was much improved.
Youri Tielemans (€6.0m) netted a brace, first punishing Jordan Pickford’s (€5.0m) poor clearance before Lukaku’s excellent cross set up his second.
The Aston Villa man was a constant threat as Belgium’s most advanced midfielder in a 4-3-3, while Doku also impressed.
Then, in the first of two friendlies before they head to the European Championship, Belgium defeated Montenegro 2-0 on Wednesday.
De Bruyne marked his 100th international cap with a goal, before Trossard sealed the victory from the penalty spot after Doku was fouled in the box.
MOST RECENT INTERNATIONAL LINE-UPS
26/03/2024 – England (a)
(4-3-3): Sels; Castagne, Debast (Faes 83), Vertonghen, Theate (Vranckx 71); Onana, Mangala (Openda 82), Tielemans (Meunier 71); Trossard (Lukebakio 60), Doku, Lukaku (Batshuayi 83)
05/06/2024 – Montenegro (h)
(4-2-3-1): Casteels; Meunier (Castagne 46), Faes (Witsel 46), Debast; De Cuyper; Vermeeren, Onana (Doku 46); Bakayoko (Mangala 46), De Bruyne (Trossard 46), Carrasco (Lukebakio 46); Openda
UPCOMING FIXTURES
| Date | Competition | Opposition |
|---|---|---|
| 8 June | Friendly | Luxembourg (h) |
GROUP FIXTURES
- 17 June: Slovakia
- 22 June: Romania
- 26 June: Ukraine
HOW FAR WILL THEY GET?
“I think the Red Devils must be capable to win their relatively easy Group E (Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania). As a group winner they’ll play one of the best third placed teams.
“As I consider Belgium ‘the best of the rest’ (after the usual suspects and favourites England, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and to a lesser extent Italy and the Netherlands), I see their adventure coming to an end when they meet one of those teams.
“This will probably be in the quarter-final.” – Toon Heylen
STRENGTHS
“Belgium still has a strong attack with the likes of De Bruyne, Trossard, Doku and Lukaku.
“De Bruyne and Doku have the ability to create scoring chances, while Trossard and Lukaku can finish those opportunities.” – Toon Heylen
WEAKNESSES
“What used to be one of Belgium’s main strengths has now become their main weakness: their defence. In the not so distant past Belgium could line up with a world class defence of Courtois, Vertonghen, Vermaelen, Kompany and Alderweireld, all in their prime.
“Nowadays only Vertonghen remains. However, he is currently carrying an injury so it will be a race against time to get him fully fit for the opener against Slovakia on June 17. While the other backline options surely have some qualities, none of them have the talent of their illustrious predecessors.” – Toon Heylen
BEST EURO 2024 FANTASY PLAYERS: BELGIUM
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