Ukraine and Belgium both need a positive result to ensure their passage through to the last 16 of Euro 2024 with Group E finely poised heading into the last round of fixtures.
By Graham Ruthven
Indeed, Romania, Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine are all on three points, separated only by goal difference. Domenico Tedesco’s team have the talent advantage on their Group E rivals, but still have to get the job done on Wednesday.
Belgium were shocked by Slovakia in their first game of the tournament, but bounced back with a much-improved performance against Romania, winning 2-0 as Youri Tielemens and Kevin de Bruyne both found the back of the net.
Romelu Lukaku has yet to score at Euro 2024, but has accumulated 1.3 Expected Goals (xG) in the two matches he’s played. The centre forward is putting himself in good positions in and around the box and will surely find the target at some point. Having had three goals disallowed, Lukaku’s luck is due to change.
Tedesco handed Dodi Lukebakio the start against Romania after favouring Leandro Trossard in the opening game defeat to Slovakia. On the other wing, Jérémy Doku is a constant threat with his dribbling, averaging 5.2 successful dribbles per 90 minutes at the tournament so far. Meanwhile, Kevin de Bruyne has created more chances (seven) than any other Belgian player in the two matches the Red Devils have played.
Ukraine carry an attacking threat of their own with the pace of Mykhailo Mudryk key to the way Serhiy Rebrov’s team play in quick transition. The Chelsea winger is isn’t always composed with his final ball, but he is averaging 2.6 successful dribbles per 90 minutes at Euro 2024. That gives Ukraine a different dynamic.
So far, centre forward Artem Dovbyk has struggled to make much of an impression on the tournament. Last season’s top scorer in LaLiga hasn’t been on the same wavelength as Georgiy Sudakov so far and has lacked the service needed to replicate the sort of form that saw him score 24 times for Girona in the 2023/24 campaign.
Talent-wise, Belgium will have the upper hand in Wednesday’s match, but they struggled to break down Slovakia’s low defensive block and could suffer a similar problem against Ukraine who are expected to sit deep and use their pace on the counter to expose the opposition defence. If Mudryk, Dovbyk and Andriy Yarmolenko can link up well, Belgium could suffer another upset.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.