Three Reasons Belgium Will Win The EUROs (And One Reason They Won’t)

With a few weeks to go until we start, Belgium are the one of the favourites to lift the European Championship trophy this summer, and it’s not tough to see why.

Belgium have never won a major tournament in their history, but came close 3 years ago in the World Cup where they reached the semi finals. They have been amongst the favourites for the last decade thanks to the depth in talent they have going forward; Man City’s Kevin De Bryune has been a revelation particularly in recent seasons for his club, and Romelu Lukaku has picked up form at just the right time, leading Inter Milan to their first Serie A title since 2010.

Belgium sit atop the FIFA World Rankings, thanks mainly to their flawless qualification of winning all 10 matches on the way to qualifying for this summer’s tournament. They have also qualified for the semi finals of the UEFA Nations League, and there appears to be little that can stop this momentum at the moment.

Belgium have a very winnable group having being pipped against Russia, Denmark and Finland, which would leave them playing a third placed team in the next round of the tournament. They may not need to get out of first gear to make it through to the Quarter Finals, which would leave them fresh and hungry in the latter stages of the tournament to lift their levels.

Belguim have of late played three defenders at the back, and against Wales in a recent qualifier, that comprised of Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, aged 35, 34 and 32 respectively. Whilst 25 year old Jason Denayer has also played in that position, that still leaves two players at the twilight of their international careers leading the backline, and they could struggle somewhat against pacier attacks.