The Red Devils and the Vatreni will lock horns in the final round of matches before this summer's European Championship kicks off.

Preview

In the final round of friendly matches before Euro 2020 kicks off, Belgium will be taking on Croatia in one of the standout ties of this weekend. The Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels will be the venue for this 2:45 p.m. ET clash as both the Red Devils and the Vatreni look to return to winning ways ahead of this summer's European Championship.

Roberto Martinez's men faced Greece in their most recent fixture, playing out a 1-1 draw. Modric and Co, on the other hand, took on Armenia and were held to a similar stalemate. Belgium, who will be keen on grabbing silverware this summer, were without several of their key players and could thus be excused for their slip-up. 

Star player Kevin de Bruyne picked up an injury in the UEFA Champions League final and missed this fixture, but he was not the only one out as he was joined by Real Madrid duo Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois. While it was only a friendly, their absence was felt as the Red Devils failed to find the breakthrough goal after conceding an equalizer just over the hour mark.

However, the world's number one ranked nation must get their act together before Euro 2020 gets underway as Belgium will face tough opposition in Group B from Denmark, Finland, and Russia. Fortunately, a lack of talent is not the issue. Leicester's FA Cup hero Youri Tielemans, Dries Mertens, Romelu Lukaku, and La Liga champion Yannick Carrasco can pick up the slack. The home side simply need to get into rhythm before their opening game against Russia on the 12th of this month.

The European giants haven't lost in any of their last eight outings, which is a positive sign. They have failed to win twice in their last three matches, with an 8-0 victory over Belarus separating 1-1 draws with the Czech Republic and Wales. In fact, the 2-1 loss they suffered to England is their only defeat since going down 5-2 to Switzerland in November 2018 in the inaugural UEFA Nations League campaign. 

Things are different for Croatia as they have picked up only four wins from their last 12 fixtures, winning twice in their last five. Those two triumphs came against Cyprus and Malta, a far-cry from their stellar 2018 World Cup campaign in which they beat the likes of Argentina, Russia, and England to make the final. Victory over Belgium would give the Vatreni a huge confidence boost. Tune in to see whether Zlatko Dalic's side can pull this off.

Team news

Belgium: De Bruyne is yet to return from his Champions League final injury while Eden Hazard is unlikely to feature as he continues to work on his fitness for Euro 2020. Axel Witsel has returned and will be hoping for some minute while Courtois could start in goal.

Croatia: Mateo Kovačić featured in Chelsea's UEFA Champions League final win but only came off the bench, hinting at another substitute role for the midfielder as he works up his fitness. Dejan Lovren and Ante Rebic have both overcome recent injuries.

Key stats

  • This will be the eighth encounter between these two European nations.

  • Croatia boast the superior head-to-head record, winning three while losing two of their previous seven run-ins.

  • Since crashing out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-finals against France, Belgium have suffered only two defeats in the subsequent 29 matches (W23, D4).

Broadcast listings

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Belgium 1 - 0 Croatia

June 6, 2021 2:45pmStade Roi Baudouin (Bruxelles (Brussel))

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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