The World Cup Final was played more than eight months ago, so that means its time to start gearing up for another major international tournament. Euro 2020 is a little over a year away, and teams will spend the next year vying to be one of the 24 teams to take part in the event. Qualifying starts this Thursday, and one of the biggest matches involves two quarterfinalists from the 2018 World Cup, Belgium and Russia.
Don't miss this UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifying match from King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium at 2:45 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 21, 2019. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN2.
International Soccer Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Belgium -338
Russia +893
Draw +485
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
Russia are looking to beat Belgium for the first time ever. These teams have met five times in their history, three times for friendlies and twice during the World Cup. At the 2002 World Cup, Belgium beat Russia in a 3-2 thriller, and at the 2014 World Cup, Belgium nipped Russia 1-0. Their last meeting was almost two years ago when Russia overcame a 3-1 first half deficit to draw thanks to late goals from Aleksei Miranchuk and Aleksandr Bukharov.
The Russian national team reached new heights thanks in part to hosting last year’s World Cup. They sent Spain crashing out in the Round of 16 in penalties and lost in penalties to eventual runner-up Croatia in the quarterfinals. Since the World Cup took place, they are 3-1-2 in international matches. Russia beat Turkey home and away, and hammered the Czech Republic 5-1. However, they could only muster a 0-0 draw with Sweden at home and lost to the Swedes in Solna and didn’t put up much of a fight in a 3-0 loss to Germany.
Belgium are coming off their best World Cup result in their history. They were seen as a dark horse entering the tournament and hammered Panama and Tunisia and outlasted England to win their group. They had to erase a 2-0 deficit against Japan in the Round of 16 but eventually got the win and then stunned Brazil in the Quarterfinals. Belgium lost to eventual champions France 1-0 in the Semifinals, but they finished third place after beating England once more. Belgium are 4-1-1 in international play since the World Cup with the only two blemishes being a road loss to Switzerland and a draw with Netherlands.
Russia Player to Watch
Aleksandr Golovin is seen as one of the next great hopes for Russian soccer, and this might be where he starts to fulfill his potential. Golovin has only netted three times in 25 matches and was largely a disappointment during Russia’s thrilling World Cup run, but he is playing with Ligue 1 side Monaco and is starting to come around.
Belgium Player to Watch
Eden Hazard wears the captain’s armband for Belgium, but the player that can turn a match on its head and make the result a laugher is Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku is a streaky player, yet he has largely shined for the national team and he is still just 25. He has 79 caps and has already become the small nation’s all-time leading goal scorer with 45 goals.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Russia have improved a lot as a team over the last few years, but this Belgium team are still in their prime. They may be on the decline in Qatar, and this is the one last run they know they can make with the core of the team still intact. I see Belgium winning this one comfortably.
Euro 2020 Qualifying Odds: Belgium 3, Russia 1
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