Belgium (BEL) and Russia (RUS) will kick off their Euro 2020 campaign when they face each other at Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg. Both teams had an excellent 2018 World Cup, as Belgium reached the last four and Russia made it to the quarter-finals.
Romelu Lukaku and Artem Dzyuba are the players to watch out for in the match. The Inter Milan striker scored 24 goals in Italian Serie A in the 2020-21 season, while his Russian counterpart won the Golden Boot in the Russian Premier League with 20 goals.
Recent Form (last five matches)
BEL: W (1-0 vs Croatia), D (1-1 vs Greece), W (8-0 vs Belarus), D (1-1 vs Czech Republic), W (3-1 vs Wales)
RUS: W (1-0 vs Bulgaria), D (1-1 vs Poland), L (vs 2-1 Slovakia), W (2-1 vs Slovenia), W (1-3 vs Malta)
Head-to-Head
Played: 7
BEL won: 5
RUS won: 0
Drawn: 2
Stats & Facts
- R Lukaku (FOR) scored a goal and picked up an assist in the last meeting between Belgium and Russia
- M Fernandes (DEF) struck two goals in his last four matches for Russia
- T Hazard (MID) has two goals in his last four appearances for Belgium
- T Meunier (DEF) has registered two assists from his last three appearances for Belgium
- G Dzhikiya (DEF) scored the lone consolation goal for Russia in the 1-4 defeat against Belgium in 2019
Injuries/Suspensions
BEL: K De Bruyne (injured), A Witsel (injured), E Hazard (doubtful)
RUS: F Kudryashov (injured)
Playing 11
BEL (possible): T Courtois; T Alderweireld, J Vertonghen, J Denayer; T Meunier, L Dendoncker, Y Tielemans, T Hazard; D Mertens, R Lukaku, J Doku
RUS (possible): A Shunin; M Fernandes, D Barinov, G Dzhikiya, A Semyonov, V Karavaev; R Zobnin, M Ozdoev, A Golovin; A Miranchuk; A Dzyuba
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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