Preview: Euro Champ Qualifying – Belgium vs Sweden

Sports Mole previews Monday’s Euro Champ Qualifying clash between Belgium and Sweden, including predictions, team news, and possible lineups.

The Group F leaders, Belgium, are set to take on Sweden in Brussels on Monday evening after securing their place at Euro 2024. Belgium, also known as the Red Devils, have already started making plans for next summer’s finals, while Sweden must win and hope Austria slip up in Azerbaijan to keep their hopes alive.

Record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku netted a vital third goal just before the hour mark in Belgium’s 3-2 away win over Austria, sealing their qualification for next year’s European Championship. With five wins and one draw, Belgium currently leads Group F with 16 points.

Belgium’s new coach, Domenico Tedesco, has won six out of seven matches since their disappointing group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup. The team is aiming to go further than their quarter-final exits in the last two Euros and has their sights set on success in Germany next summer.

Sweden, on the other hand, had a dismal start to their Euro Champ Qualifying campaign, with a crushing 3-0 defeat by Belgium on the opening day. They have only managed to pick up six points since then, and a playoff place is now their best chance of qualifying for the Euros. Sweden’s coach, Janne Andersson, is under pressure to salvage this situation after missing out on last year’s World Cup.

In terms of team news, Belgium will be without Amadou Onana due to suspension, and several players including Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois are unavailable due to injuries. Sweden will revert to full strength after selecting an experimental XI in their friendly against Moldova.

Possible lineups:

Belgium: Sels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Tielemans, Mangala, Vermeeren; Lukebakio, Lukaku, Doku

Sweden: Olsen; Wahlqvist, Lindelof, Lagerbielke, Augustinsson; Kulusevski, Ekdal, K. Olsson, Karlsson; Claesson, Gyokeres

In our prediction, we expect Belgium to win with a narrow margin of 1-0. Sweden’s chances of catching up to Belgium and Austria are slim, especially without their star striker. However, if Belgium makes changes to their lineup after securing qualification, the match could be a close-fought encounter.

For more analysis and predictions for this match, you can visit Sporita.com.

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Olivia Wilson

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