The 2024 UEFA Euros kick off on June 14th and of the six groups, Group E may be one of the weakest, giving multiple teams potential to steal a spot in the knockout stages. We break down the 2024 Euros Group E along with giving you our predictions and best bets to make for the group stage.
2024 Euros Group E
Team Overviews
Belgium
To say Belgium’s recent “golden era” ended in disappointment would be a massive understatement. For having one of the most talented teams in the world, one third place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup being all they have to show for their past five major international tournaments is a complete embarrassment. Even though that era is over, they still have solid players such as midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans along with forwards Romelu Lukaku and Jérémy Doku.
The “golden era” may be over, but Belgium still has a chance for glory this year. Unfortunately for Belgium, this may be their last shot. Stalwart defenders Jan Vertonghen and Axel Witsel are 35 and 37 respectively and Kevin De Bruyne may only have a few years left in his prime. The X-factor on this team is forward Romelu Lukaku. For a player that has scored as many goals as he has for club and country, he has had some big-time blunders in massive games. If he can’t pick up his play, and their aging defenders can’t keep up, they could be in trouble come the knockout stages. With a little bit of magic though, they may have just enough to finally capture their first major international trophy.
Major USA Sports Team Comparison: 1990’s Buffalo Bills
Slovakia
Slovakia may not have a great track record with qualifying for major competitions like the World Cup and Euros, but when they do, they have found plenty of success. In the one World Cup they qualified for as Slovakia in 2010, they made it to the round of 16 thanks to a win over the defending champions Italy in their final group game. Although they didn’t get past the group stage in the 2020 Euros, they did get to the round of 16 in 2016.
Although this team doesn’t have much star power, they do have some solid players in goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka and defender Milan Škriniar. They have a knack for rising to the occasion, and this should be one of the best chances they’ve ever had to go deep in this tournament.
Major USA Sports Team Comparison: 2022-2023 Seattle Kraken
Romania
Of all the teams in this group, Romania may be the only one that doesn’t have at least one difference maker on their team. They are a very young team with just five players over the age of 30 and they are very inexperienced as well. They haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 1998 and have qualified for the Euros just once since 2008.
While Romania did take first in a qualifying group that included Switzerland, they hardly faced any real competition with Israel, Belarus, Kosovo and Andorra filling out the group. Romania will need to steal a win from either Ukraine or Slovakia to have a chance to qualify, but they do have a real chance. However, even if they do qualify, it’s hard to see them going anywhere once the knockout stages begin.
Major USA Sports Team Comparison: Current Detroit Pistons
Ukraine
In the 2020 Euros, the story of the tournament was Denmark. They rallied after the cardiac arrest of their captain Christian Eriksen and made it all the way to the semifinals. If there is one team that could replicate that, it’s this Ukraine team. Marred in a war with Russia, the country has rallied around this team and is hoping to propel them to new heights. Ukraine has found recent success with a trip to the quarterfinals in the 2020 Euros and has now qualified for the Euros for the fourth straight year.
Although this team is far from the most talented in the tournament, they still have plenty of talent across their roster. Forward Andriy Yarmolenko is an underrated goalscorer (46 international goals) and midfielders Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mykhaylo Mudryk have proven themselves more than reliable on big stages. With goalkeeper Andriy Lunin having an incredible run of form in the Champions League with Real Madrid, Ukraine has enough pieces to surprise some people in this tournament. Soccer is a weird sport where emotions have often driven teams to new heights and Ukraine looks primed to be another example of just that.
Major USA Sports Team Comparison: 2010 New York Jets
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Group E Predictions
This group is surely Belgium’s to lose. Although this team isn’t as good as it has been in the past, they are still head and shoulders above the other teams in this group. When it comes to second place, it would appear the main competitors are Ukraine and Slovakia. Ukraine is the only team outside of Belgium in this group that’s either qualified for the last three Euros or made it to the quarterfinals in the past 20 years. Their experience and consistency should get them second place.
As for the battle between Slovakia and Romania, Slovakia should be able to take third place. They have multiple elite players that Romania doesn’t have. We expect Slovakia to not only finish third, but have enough points to qualify for the knockout stages.
2022 UEFA Euros Schedule – Group E
Here is the 2024 UEFA Euros schedule for Group E matches.
Monday, Jun. 17
9:00 AM ET: Romania vs Ukraine
12:00 PM ET: Belgium vs Slovakia
Friday, Jun. 21
9:00 AM ET: Slovakia vs Ukraine
Saturday, Jun. 22
3:00 PM ET: Belgium vs Romania
Wednesday, Jun. 26
12:00 PM ET: Slovakia vs Romania
12:00 PM ET: Ukraine vs Belgium
Group E Best Bets
Belgium Group Winner: -200
Romania to Finish Last: +160
Romania Not to Advance from Group: +105
