EM test match, Wednesday, 05.06.2024
Once again, it didn’t work out with the European Championship, and now they are to serve as a test match opponent for those who will soon be fighting for the crown in Germany!
We’re talking about the number 70 team in the world, who will be on the pitch in Brussels on Wednesday, naturally as underdogs. In my Belgium Montenegro betting tip, I’ll tell you why I’m confident of the visitors and why I’m backing a 2:0 handicap
The qualifying group with Hungary, Serbia, Lithuania and Bulgaria was actually quite feasible, and yet it didn’t work out to qualify for the European Championship. Montenegro are still waiting and at least in this clash the players will be challenged in June.
The Falcons won three times in qualifying, lost three times and drew twice, so it was a mixed bag. Of course, the two defeats against Serbia, their immediate neighbors, were particularly painful
The highlight of the current calendar year will therefore be Group B in the Nations League, but first the players will have to find the motivation to reel off two test matches of no sporting significance.
This already worked out quite well once (or rather twice) in March, although these two games had nothing to do with roaring soccer festivals
First Belarus were defeated 2:0, followed by a 1:0 win against North Macedonia. All three goals were scored before the break, so there was nothing more to play for in the second half.
Of course, the Falcons were not real attacking monsters in the European Championship qualifiers either, scoring just nine goals in eight games. The entire squad is not worth 40 million euros, so of course there can’t be any top stars
The team only got a new coach on the sidelines in February; Robert Prosinecki has been in charge of the team’s fortunes and composition for several months now.
Montenegro have only played their upcoming opponents from Belgium once, but it must also be noted that it could not have happened that much more often due to the secession from Serbia
In May 2012, the two nations faced each other directly for the first and only time. The favorites had big names like Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on the pitch.
The result: a more than clear 4:0. Our bookmakers, where it is already worth taking a look at the free bets on offer, are certain that we can expect something similar on Wednesday.
The average odds are 1.28 to 9.50, which doesn’t necessarily suggest that Montenegro has a chance of winning. But why can I still imagine that it will be a very close game?
Quite simply because Belgium have not exactly covered themselves in glory this year. First and foremost, the Red Devils of course qualified for the tournament with aplomb, nothing else was expected.
They finished one point ahead of Austria, won six times and drew twice. Fundamentally solid, then, which is more than can be said about their performances in 2024, even though only two games have been played
The spectators didn’t get to see much in the tired 0-0 draw against Ireland; their second opponent, England, was much more challenging. The double lead did not last, and the Belgians conceded an equalizer in the last minute of stoppage time.
So it’s hard to know what to expect from the team this year. With Montenegro and Luxembourg, the two nations against whom they will be tested for the last time before the European Championship are definitely not on an equal footing.
Coach Domenico Tedesco is likely to try out a few things on Wednesday. The squad is peppered with stars, from the keeper to the forwards, big names can be expected
How will the Belgian national team line up on Wednesday? So far, things haven’t really gone to plan in 2024 and, as we all know, the European Championship is not far away. It is of course questionable whether the match against Montenegro will be taken completely seriously.
Has Domenico Tedesco already found his best team or is he still testing a little? Montenegro won’t be at the European Championship, but they did win twice in 2024 without conceding a goal.
All in all, I think the Belgians will still show a few slight inconsistencies. As a result, I’m predicting a rather close result:
A 2:0 HC is enough for Montenegro to “win!”
