The final countdown to UEFA Euro 2024 has officially begun as we approach a string of highly anticipated international friendlies. Some of the nations that are playing this week are heading for the big tournament and others aren’t, but either way, it’s important for all of them to try and build some momentum. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the impending clash between Belgium and Montenegro.

Belgium’s golden generation is slowly devolving and, in reality, they only have one (or two) tournaments left with their current crop of players. There aren’t really any more excuses that can be thrown in their direction and after messing up in a big way at the World Cup, they have to rebound - and they need some of their big names to be the ones who drag them through this mess.

Belgium got the job done in qualifying as they went unbeaten across their eight games. They did only manage to edge past Austria by one point, but they were still able to get over the finish line and finish top, which should reaffirm why they’re feeling confident heading into Germany 2024.

When talking about Montenegro alongside Serbia, it’s clear and obvious to see that they are the minnows out of the two - if there was to be such a title. They’ve certainly made some progress here and there which is obvious for all to see, but a real run at reaching big tournaments feels quite far off for now. They need superstars, and they haven’t got the infrastructure for that at the moment.

Montenegro did a solid job of pushing Serbia all the way in qualifying, and they wound up only finishing three points behind their neighbours. Alas, they didn’t make it into the play-offs, as they prepare to go back to the drawing board and see where they can improve.

In a game like this, the whole point is to do everything in your power to make an impact - but at the same time, there are far more important matches that lie ahead. Therefore, while we do think there will be some big moments here and there, our official prediction is under 2.5 goals scored.