The Belgian fans will heave a sigh of relief, as their captain Eden Hazard has been declared fit to take part in their quarterfinal clash against Wales in Lille, on Friday night.
The Chelsea man has been suffering from a thigh injury since their 4-0 win over Hungary, but is said to have recovered sufficiently to play against Wales.
However, all is not well on the defensive front for Belgium, as they are set to miss two of their key figures in the back four. Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen is suspended for the game, as he picked up his second booking of the tournament against Hungary.
To add to their miseries, Tottenham Hotspur man Jan Vertonghen’s European Championship has come to an abrupt end, after the 29-year-old twisted his ankle in training ahead of the quarterfinal. He tweeted:
Gutted to say that my Euros is over. Good luck to my teammates for the rest of the competition ??
— Jan Vertonghen (@JanVertonghen) June 30, 2016
Belgium head coach confirmed that the defender has twisted his knee, and even went on to say that the Spurs man will be out of action for around six to eight weeks.
“Jan Vertonghen turned his left ankle at the very end of training and has torn two ankle ligaments. It’s a sporting tragedy for him. He is out of the tournament, he’s out for around six to eight weeks,” Wilmots was quoted as saying on UEFA’s official website. “It is tricky but we’ve got alternatives.”
Coleman to name full strength Wales XI
The big news coming out of the Wales camp is that their captain Ashley Williams has been cleared to take part in the quarterfinal against Belgium. The Swansea City defender is a key part of the Wales side, as he marshals his three-man defence with great efficiency.
Williams sustained an injury to his arm in their round of 16 match against Northern Ireland. However, the Wales captain soldered on during the game, after which the Wales medical staff put a sling on his arm. However, Williams declared himself fit ahead of the Belgium game, lauding the efforts of Wales’s medical staff.
“Obviously it was hurting a lot at the end of the game, but a lot of credit goes to the medical staff,” he was quoted as saying in the BBC. “They’ve done a great job on me and I’ve trained in all the sessions this week. It’s in good shape and I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Wales head-coach Chris Coleman also expressed his relief ahead of the game, as he welcomed his captain back into the side. Coleman said, “I’m just relieved. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but you need leaders in your side.”
A win in the quarterfinals would be historic for both the sides. Wales have never made it to the semifinals of any major international tournament in the past. Their best finish was in he 1958 World Cup, where they made it all the way to the quarterfinals, losing 1-0 to Brazil.
Meanwhile, the Belgians will be looking to reach the semifinal stage of a major international for the first time in three decades. The last time they made it to the last four stage of an international competition, was back in 1986, when they finished fourth in the World Cup, losing 2-0 to eventual champions Argentina.
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