Why Belgium are THE team to beat in Group E

Belgium are widely regarded as one of the best international teams in the world and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Marc Wilmots’ men reach the latter stages of the competition this season.

While they have been paired up with a tricky group – including Italy, Republic of Ireland and Sweden – Belgium will believe they are one of the best sides in the tournament and could go on to win the group with relative ease.

Last year, Belgium climbed above Germany and Argentina at the top of the FIFA world rankings. Whilst those figures don’t mean much, it certainly shows an incredible improvement from the Belgium Red Devils over the last few years.

A decade or so ago, Belgium weren’t able to compete with the best teams on the planet but now, with their ‘Golden Generation’, they stand a great chance of going on to win the crown this summer.

At the time of writing, Belgium are currently priced at 12/1 with Coral and plenty of punters will be searching for Euro 2016 tips and odds on Wilmots’ side. In the 2014 World Cup, Belgium fell short as they were eliminated by Argentina in the quarter-finals.

While the Red Devils could hold their heads high after losing to such a talented side, they left a little disappointed after a poor performance in that particular contest.

This summer, they will look to emulate their performance in the group stages of the World Cup. Belgium finished at the top of their group and were unbeaten – although they were fortunate to win all three games with a number of late goals.

If they can win all three of their group fixtures, Belgium will be well placed for a favourable clash in the first knockout round and from there, who knows? Coral have suggested that Sweden – this is their most recent Euro 2016 tip – may be the main danger ahead of an inconsistent Italian side.

For Belgium, the first aim will be to get through the group stages as winners and from there, the sky is the limit. France, Germany and Spain are likely to be there or thereabouts and England have the potential to challenge if Roy Hodgson gets his squad selection right.

The Euro 2016 crown isn’t beyond the realms of possibility for an improving Belgium side, especially if they are fortunate with injuries in the build-up to the event. If nothing else, one thing’s for sure: Belgium fans will be supporting their team in fine voice this summer and with a bit of luck, they CAN win the title for the first time.