Belgium and Romania had contrasting starts to their campaign, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting affair on Saturday, June 22. The game is played at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, a city that’s just some 50 miles away from the Belgian border, so it’s clear which side will have more fans in the stands.
Belgium vs. Romania Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Belgium | -225 |
| Draw | +370 |
| Romania | +670 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany
- Date: Saturday, June 22, 2024
- Time: 3:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: FOX
Belgium Eager to Bounce Back After a Loss at the Start of the Euros
The biggest upset of the group phase of the 2024 Euro (so far) was the loss Belgium suffered to Slovakia. The Red Devils were odds-on favorites ahead of the game, with some online sportsbooks pricing them at -210.
But they ended up losing 1:0 with the only goal scored in the 7th minute of the game. After conceding an early goal, they went on to create 15 goal chances, making 5 shots towards the opposition goal. Two of those went in but were both disallowed. Each time, the man to get his dreams crushed was Romelu Lukaku.
First, he found himself on the wrong side of the imaginary offside line. Then, close to the end of the game, his goal was disallowed due to a handball. One may argue that the Belgians were unlucky in that game, but they mustn’t count on luck.
They need to take their destiny into their own hands and defeat Romania on Saturday. It won’t be easy as the Romanians are encouraged by their brilliant performance against Ukraine in the first round.
Can Romanians Keep on Winning?
Romania is sitting at the top of Group E with one win and a score difference of 3:0. These guys blew out Ukraine on Monday, but it wasn’t as impressive a win as the final score might suggest. Ukraine was the dominant side throughout the game, keeping the ball in their possession for two-thirds of the time.
Further, Ukraine made more goal attempts, but the Romanians were simply more clinical than them. The goalscorers were Nicolae Stanciu, Razvan Marin, and Denis Dragus.
None of these guys can be called elite, with the performance against Ukraine being one of their best ever. You can think of the 3:0 win as a glitch in the matrix, which Belgium is going to fix on Saturday.
Belgium vs. Romania Prediction
Although Belgium isn’t as strong as it was a couple of years ago, this team does look much better than Romania. Domenico Tedesco’s team still does have Kevin De Bruyne on the roster, with the addition of a couple of new talented players, most importantly, Jeremy Doku.
With players like these, the Red Devils should have no problems beating Romania. Plus, they’ve got extra motivation to beat them as any other result could keep them away from the knockout stage. On top of everything, they’re going to have a huge number of fans to support them from the stands, which is why anything but a dominant win for Belgium would be a huge surprise.
Pick: Belgium