Belgium fancied to beat Russia despite injuries
Kevin De Bruyne and Axel Witsel are sidelined while captain Eden Hazard is on the bench for European Championship qualifier
10 June 2021 - 15:50
Romping through the European Championship qualifiers, Belgium looked every bit the top-ranked team in world football and strong contenders for their first major tournament title.
But some 18 months on, while they still top the Fifa rankings, expectations for the finals have been cooled by a series of injuries to key members of the team. When they play Russia in their opening Group B game in St Petersburg on Saturday, Belgium could likely be without Kevin De Bruyne and Axel Witsel and have captain Eden Hazard only on the bench...
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