There’s no such thing as an irrelevant match in the knockout round, but tonight’s Belgium tie against Italy (22.00) in the EURO 2020 1/4 finals can be labelled as a larger than life. Especially for Romelu Lukaku, a prolific Red Devils striker that will probably have to carry the entire burden of this match on his broad shoulders.As you’ve probably read by now, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne are sidelined due to injuries picked up in a previous last-32 round fixture against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. The Belgium star duo didn’t attend the last team practice, and it’s reasonable to believe they will miss this crucial tie.De Bruyne, Eden Hazard absent from Belgium training ahead of Italy clashBearing that in mind, it’s clear that Lukaku will have a much more challenging task to guide his side to victory in this do-or-die encounter, in which no mistakes are allowed. Moreover, Roberto Mancini’s guys are maybe the most formidable possible opponent for this kind of skirmish, tactically skilled and shaped to perfection.EURO 2020: Spain ready for Switzerland but aware of France downfallThe worlds best team needs to prove they deserve that label finallySpinazzola and Jorginho will give their best to prevent any offensive creation for Hazard-less Belgium, which will subsequently lead to a reduced number of chances for Lukaku himself to find the net. Sure, Thorgan Hazard, Dries Mertens and Axel Witsel know to play a ball, but it’s almost a mission impossible to carry out desired tactics when faced with such a disciplined slot like Azurri. The fact they’ve conceded a single goal in the first four matches – and that one was in the eight-finals against Austria – tells a lot about them.Two extra-time goals save Italy from a shocking upsetOn the other end, the Red Devils haven’t impressed so far, especially considering both pundits and fans’ status and high expectations. A slow start to the tournament was followed by a chess game against Portugal, but Hazard’s missile (Thorgan), Belgium’s only praiseworthy move throughout the entire 90 minutes, was enough for an important victory.Arsenal are pushing hard to sign EURO 2020 Italian starsBut now, without vital midfield-based firepower in the likes of Eden Hazard and De Bruyne, it will be twice as harder for Roberto Martinez’s team to push themselves to the last-four round.Only one name stands out in the crowd for his outstanding skills and immaculate persistency – qualities that could prove substantial in tonight’s game.It’s Romelu’s time.Inter team-mates Lukaku and Barella face off at #EURO2020 today#BEL 🆚 #ITA pic.twitter.com/wJvF1xOfAe— Goal (@goal) July 2, 2021
