Belgium vs Estonia

King Baudouin Stadium is the venue as Belgium and Estonia go head-to-head in a lopsided Euro 2024 qualifying fixture.

Belgium eked out a narrow 1-0 win away to Azerbaijan last weekend, maintaining a near-perfect Euro 2024 qualifying start (W3, D1). In turn, new manager Domenico Tedesco has extended his unbeaten touchline record in charge of ‘De Rode Duivels’ to five matches (W4, D1), bringing them on the cusp of a third consecutive European Championship appearance. Estonia’s visit ought to add another victory to the tally, with Belgium running out 3-0 victors in the reverse fixture in Tallinn in June, making it five H2H wins on the trot since a 2-0 loss in 2009. The Belgians have been firing on all cylinders during Tedesco’s early regime, netting 11 goals while conceding just one in return. Belgium’s free-scoring form should provide a backdrop for the extension of their intimidating run of just one loss in their last 52 qualifying matches for top international tournaments (W43, D8).

Meanwhile, qualification for a first major international tournament as an independent country looks out of reach for Estonia after a disastrous run of three defeats from their first four Euro 2024 qualifiers (D1) left them virtually chanceless in Group F. With nine points separating them from the leading duo, the visitors must string together a substantial winning streak and hope those above them to suffer a drop, which doesn’t look plausible. Winless on their last three road trips (D1, L2), the ‘Blueshirts’ head to Brussels seeking damage control, having lost all four previous visits to the country via an aggregate score of 16-4, with three of those four losses yielding multi-goal margins. Moreover, the Baltic minnows have emerged victorious in only nine of their last 50 qualifiers for major tournaments (D7, L34).