A star-studded Belgium team will go into Euro 2016 without captain Vincent Kompany, who has been struggling with injury throughout the past season.
With a wealth of talent at his disposal though, Marc Wilmots has named an extra defender in his provisional squad to boost his options for the final cut before the tournament.
“[Jason] Denayer is the replacement for Kompany to me…and Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will start in the full-back positions,” explained the coach.
Wilmots is also confident in his vast array of attacking weapons which include the likes of AS Roma’s Radja Nainggolan, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, while also adding Atletico Madrid striker Yannick Carrasco to his list.
“Carrasco has had a super season. He and [Divock] Origi have pace and depth in their game and that’s what I like.”
The Belgians kick-off their tournament against Italy on the 13th of June.
Belgium squad for UEFA EURO 2016
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Jean-François Gillet (Mechelen), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Jason Denayer (Galatasaray), Bjorn Engels (Club Brugge), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit), Jordan Lukaku (Oostende), Thomas Meunier (Club Brugge), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Man Utd), Radja Nainggolan (Roma), Axel Witsel (Zenit), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea).
Forwards: Moussa Dembélé (Tottenham), Michy Batshuayi (Marseille), Christian Benteke (Liverpool), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Divock Origi (Liverpool).
Belgium’s Group E fixtures
13/06: Belgium v Italy (Lyon)
18/06: Belgium v Republic of Ireland (Bordeaux)
22/06: Sweden v Belgium (Nice)
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