Bet on Romania to cover the goal line in matchup with Belgium at the 2024 Euros

Belgium will try to keep its tournament hopes alive when it faces Romania for its second match in the European Championship.

The Belgians suffered a shocking loss (1-0) in their opener against Slovakia as better than a 2-to-1 favorite on the three-way moneyline.

Of the four teams in Group E, Belgium is the only country yet to register a point, while the other three picked up three points in their opening match.

But while this fixture against Romania will be crucial for Belgium’s chances of advancing, the Tricolours are a very capable side, as evidenced by their 3-0 shellacking of Ukraine in the opener.

Belgian football’s Golden Generation has dwindled to four players: Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Axel Witsel and Jan Vertonghen are all part of manager Domenico Tedesco’s 25-man roster.

Gone are players like Vincent Kompany, Mousa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard, Kevin Mirallas and Steven Defour, while Tedesco opted not to select Thibaut Courtois, who many view as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

While Lukaku (31), De Bruyne (32), Witsel (35) and Vertonghen (37) are all experienced players, they’re certainly not getting any younger.

Belgium has the unlucky distinction of being No. 1 in FIFA’s rankings for four straight years despite failing to win a major title.

The Golden Generation’s best result was a semifinal loss (1-0) to eventual champions France at the 2018 World Cup. The Red Devils then crashed out of the 2022 World Cup after a draw (0-0) against Croatia in the final match of the group stage.

Belgium failed to score despite posting an expected goals (xG) tally of 2.68, and Lukaku was personally culpable for a fair share of those near misses.

In the opening Euros match against Slovakia, Lukaku found the net twice, but both goals were disallowed. The first was due to offsides, while the second was chalked off following a handball in the build-up.

Belgium has been nothing but disappointing thus far, and there are no signs that it’s ready to turn things around.

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Romania entered the Euros tied for the seventh-longest odds at 150-to-1. However, the Tricolours went undefeated during qualifying, posting a 6-0-4 mark. Defensively, Romania can be a handful, as it allowed just five goals over the 10 games.

Manager Edward Iordanescu has only six defeats in 25 matches since his appointment in 2022.

Portugal was the only country that registered more shutouts (nine) than Romania (six) during qualifying.

Iordanescu will likely set his team up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, which allows him to use a low block on the backline and in midfield.

The engine is in the midfield, as Romania ranked second in interceptions and third in tackles among teams that qualified for the Euros.

Romania is a tough team to break down, and it is unlikely to commit unforced errors at the back.

Belgium won’t have much fun playing against Romania’s low block, and when you consider some of the Red Devils’ recent spurned scoring opportunities, it could be another long night in front goal.

While the Romanians will respect the Belgians, they certainly won’t fear them. After all, they’re 3-1-1 in their last five meetings with Belgium. Moreover, Romania has had just one loss in its last 16 matches (8-1-7).

Belgium is a -1.5-goal favorite on the spread, and that number probably has more to do with how the sportsbooks power-rated the teams on the futures market heading into this tournament.

The Red Devils were often outplayed by Slovakia in the middle of the park, and we could see a similar occurrence with Romania.

Look for Romania’s stingy defense to do enough to keep this match within a goal. While we’d have to swallow some juice at -170, there’s still value at the current number.

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