The 24th version of EURO competition for players under the age of 21 starts on Wednesday. One of the three matches that will open the tournament is this one between Belgium and the Netherlands. These two teams are in a very strong group with a strong Portuguese team and Georgia. The Belgians are coming off of a routine 2-0 win over Israel in a friendly last week. Nicolas Raskin broke the deadlock in the 51st minute, while Omri Gandelman's 65th-minute own goal wrapped up proceedings with 25 minutes to go. The Netherlands played a goalless draw with Japan in their final preparatory friendly match. Belgium came to the championship as group toppers in its qualification group, ahead of Denmark. A strong start to the qualification campaign and victory in the first 6 games allowed them to play the finishing part a bit more relaxed. Thus, even two draws in the last two matches against Denmark and Scotland did not cost them a place in the tournament. Netherlands, like Belgium, won their participation in the tournament safely as the first-placed team in their group. In ten qualifying games, they won eight times, with two draws and an incredible goal difference of 32 to 3. However, I am expecting a win or a draw for Belgium for the following reasons:

Firstly. As Belgium's trophy-less 'golden generation' enter the twilight of their careers, the onus is on the Young Devils to follow in their elders' footsteps and try to break new ground for their nation. Since reaching the semi-finals of the 2007 Under-21 Euros in what was only their second appearance at the finals, Belgium have only qualified for two of the last eight Championships. Presently, they have got the players and the right team cohesion to go far in this tournament. And, they will be meeting Netherlands this evening with the momentum on their side. With their sights set on breaking grounds in this tournament for their nation, they are set to produce some top performances starting this evening.

Secondly. As always, the Netherlands is one of the favorites in this tournament. They have won it twice so far, and they have been waiting for their third trophy since 2007. Netherlands' defence solidity was evident in their qualifying phase when they conceded only three goals in ten games, and also in their recent batch of friendlies, keeping another three clean sheets in five games to extend their unbeaten run in all tournaments to 15 matches since losing to Germany in the Euro 2021 semis. But their last two games with the Czech Republic and Japan both ended in stalemates.

Despite their differing set of results at the Under-21 Euros, Belgium and the Netherlands have otherwise been very evenly-matched, with both sides winning three and losing three against one another alongside three draws. As admirable as the Netherlands' defensive streak is, they have not been tested by a striker in as red-hot form as Belgium's Openda. These two teams are likely to play a draw, but there is the off chance that Belgium can get a narrow win. So, it is a win or a draw to Belgium for me.

针对21岁以下球员的第24届欧洲杯将于周三开始。本届世界杯开幕的三场比赛之一是比利时和荷兰之间的比赛。这两支球队在一个非常强大的小组，还有强大的葡萄牙队和格鲁吉亚队。比利时人刚刚在上周的友谊赛中以2:0击败以色列。尼古拉斯·拉斯金在第51分钟打破僵局，而奥姆里·甘德尔曼在第65分钟的乌龙球在比赛还剩25分钟时结束了比赛。荷兰队在最后一场友谊赛中与日本队0比0战平。比利时以小组第一的身份出线，领先丹麦。预选赛的强势开局和前6场比赛的胜利让他们在最后的比赛中更加放松。因此，即使在最近两场对阵丹麦和苏格兰的比赛中两场平局也没有让他们失去参赛资格。荷兰队和比利时队一样，以小组第一的身份安全出线。在10场预选赛中，他们取得了8场胜利，2场平局，净胜球为32比3，令人难以置信。不过，我还是希望比利时队能赢或平，原因如下:

首先。随着比利时少得可怜的“黄金一代”步入职业生涯的暮年，年轻的“魔鬼”们有责任追随前辈们的脚步，努力为自己的国家开辟新的天地。自2007年u21欧洲杯进入半决赛以来，这是他们第二次进入决赛，比利时在过去的八届锦标赛中只参加了两次。目前，他们已经拥有了球员和合适的团队凝聚力，可以在这次比赛中走得更远。他们将在今晚与荷兰队的比赛中取得胜利。他们的目标是为他们的国家在这次比赛中取得突破，他们将在今晚开始表现出一些顶级表现。

其次。一如既往，荷兰队是本届世界杯的热门球队之一。到目前为止，他们已经赢得了两次冠军，自2007年以来，他们一直在等待他们的第三座奖杯。荷兰队在预选赛阶段的10场比赛中只丢了3个球，在最近的友谊赛中，荷兰队又在5场比赛中保持了3场不失球，自2021年欧洲杯半决赛输给德国以来，荷兰队在所有赛事中的不败纪录达到了15场。但他们最近与捷克和日本的两场比赛都陷入了僵局。

尽管比利时和荷兰在u21欧洲杯上的战绩各不相同，但两队在其他方面都势均力敌，双方都取得了3胜3负以及3平的战绩。尽管荷兰队的防守能力令人钦佩，但他们还没有像比利时的奥彭达那样受到过前锋的考验。这两支球队很可能打成平局，但比利时以微弱优势取胜的可能性很小。所以，对我来说，要么赢，要么平局。