Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco has cautioned his team not to underestimate Azerbaijan as they wrap up their European Championship qualifying campaign on Sunday, despite already securing a place at the finals in Germany next year.
A victory over their opponents, who are ranked 115 places below them in the FIFA rankings, will ensure Belgium finish unbeaten and at the top of Group F, ahead of Austria who have already completed their campaign.
“The match against Azerbaijan is a very serious one. They deserved to win their game against Austria and managed to beat Sweden 3-0 earlier this week. Let’s not forget that we also struggled in Baku. It’s important to play for something tomorrow,” Tedesco told reporters at a pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“The need to secure a good seeding for the Euros has been a topic of discussion among players and serves as additional motivation. While it’s true that you have to defeat every team in a European Championship to become the champion, having a good seeding can help avoid facing certain top countries in the initial phase.”
The match will take place at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, where Wednesday’s friendly international against Serbia was originally supposed to be held. However, it was moved to Leuven one day before kickoff due to heavy rains making the field unplayable.
“The condition of the field will not be an excuse. We are working hard to make it as playable as possible, but I am not worried about it,” Tedesco added. He also confirmed that veteran defender Jan Vertonghen and leading scorer Romelu Lukaku are both fit, despite not featuring in Wednesday’s match.
Belgium will, however, be without Everton midfielder Amadou Onana, who withdrew from the team this week due to a calf injury.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
