Trailing by two goals from the first leg, Belgium have a mountain to climb when they reconvene with Ukraine on Sunday evening, as the pair fight it out for a place in the UEFA Nations League‘s top tier.
A stunning second-half display on Thursday gives the Ukrainians a healthy advantage before heading to Genk, putting them close to clinching promotion.
Match preview
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When Romelu Lukaku headed home just before half time, it seemed Belgium were on course for success in the away leg of their promotion/relegation playoff, but events after the break have left their League A status hanging by a thread.
Koni De Winter‘s error allowed Oleksiy Hutsulyak to score just three minutes after leaving the bench, before Ukraine added a second through another substitute, Vladyslav Vanat; later on, Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi netted the third.
It was, therefore, a disastrous debut for new Belgium boss Rudi Garcia, who replaced Domenico Tedesco after underwhelming displays from the Red Devils at Euro 2024 and in the Nations League’s group phase.
They only avoided automatic relegation by a whisker after winning just one of six fixtures, and an ongoing run of four straight defeats represents a real crisis for one of Europe’s top-ranked nations.
Before kicking off their World Cup qualifying campaign in June, Belgium are now at risk of dropping down to League B for the first time to date, so Garcia – who failed miserably in his short stay at Napoli – will be under pressure to produce at least a two-goal win this weekend.
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Following a fairly tame display in the first half, Ukraine impressively overturned a one-goal deficit on neutral turf in Murcia, as their exile from home soil goes on.
As a result, Serhiy Rebrov‘s side are tantalisingly close to gaining a spot in the Nations League’s top flight, having finished 2024 strongly to earn a place in the playoffs.
They ultimately accrued eight points from six matches to finish one ahead of Georgia and Albania in a particularly tight group, ending with a four-game unbeaten run that has now been extend to five.
Despite being ranked much lower than their playoff rivals, Ukraine – who will start World Cup qualifying in September – have so far stayed undefeated against Belgium, too.
The two nations faced off for the first time in last year’s European Championship, playing out a goalless draw in the final round of group matches, and a repeat result on Sunday would send the Synʹo-zhovti up to League A.
Team News
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After replacing Domenico Tedesco earlier this year, Rudi Garcia was able to persuade Thibaut Courtois to end his international exile, and the Real Madrid goalkeeper made a first Belgium appearance since June 2023 on Thursday evening.
He will again start behind a back four, but the personnel in front of him could change following an error-strewn second half in Spain. Wout Faes and Ameen Al-Dakhil are among several defenders vying for promotion from the bench.
Once again, Youri Tielemans should patrol central midfield, with veteran duo Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne linking up in the final third.
Meanwhile, Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov must mull over whether to stick with the same XI or bring his impact substitutes into the starting lineup.
The visitors have plenty of options to choose from up front, as Roman Yaremchuk led the line on Thursday, Vladyslav Vanat scored after arriving from the bench, while Roma striker Artem Dovbyk is hopeful of recovering from an illness.
A club colleague of Courtois in Madrid, Andriy Lunin is set to continue between the posts, holding off strong competition from Benfica’s Anatoliy Trubin.
Belgium possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Castagne, Faes, Debast, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Vanaken; Saelemaekers, De Bruyne, Trossard; Lukaku
Ukraine possible starting lineup:
Lunin; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko; Shaparenko, Kalyuzhnyi, Zinchenko; Tsygankov, Sudakov; Vanat
We say: Belgium 2-1 Ukraine (Ukraine win 4-3 on aggregate)
An ageing and disjointed Belgium squad may secure victory on the night, but Ukraine will bravely resist a two-goal loss and win the tie overall.
The visitors have found some form in recent months, so they can now slay the Red Devils and celebrate promotion back to League A.
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