Hello there! 'Play for all of Denmark' is the message Christian Eriksen sent to his team mates ahead of their Group B match with Belgium this evening. Having suffered a 1-0 defeat to Finland on Saturday - played hours after it originally kicked off after the 29-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch - the Danes are without a point and need something here in Copenhagen to have a chance of remaining in the tournament. It won't be an easy task as Belgium, fresh from their 3-0 thrashing of Russia, are surefire favourites to emerge victorious and claim their place in the tournament's last-16 with a game to spare. Let's grab the team news, kick-off is just an hour away!
Euro 2024 / Group Stage
Parken / 17.06.2021
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/match/football-header-bg-mobile.jpg)
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/sport/football/club/logo/300/406.png){kind=logo}
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/sport/football/club/logo/300/3004.png){kind=logo}
- Y. Poulsen(2')
- T. Hazard(55')
- K. De Bruyne(70')
Live
Live Updates
:focal(140x151:142x149)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2020/04/28/2811917-58003384-310-310.png)
Updated 17/06/2021 at 17:58 GMT
16:55
'You'll Never Walk Alone' plays as the teams make their way out onto the pitch. There's a huge crowd at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen - 25,000 in total - and they're making plenty of noise. The national anthems should be quite something...
16:45
Opta stat: Denmark and Belgium’s only previous meeting at a major tournament was in the group stages of Euro 1984. Denmark won 3-2 after having been 2-0 down, one of only six times a two-goal deficit has been overcome in a win at the tournament.
16:35
As a tribute to Eriksen, Belgium will kick the ball out of play in the 10th minute - Eriksen's shirt number for his country.
16:30
The Inter Milan forward already has two goals to his name during the tournament and is in the form of his life.
16:25
Playing for Eriksen is Denmark's greatest motivation, says captain Simon Kjaer. 'It has been some very special days, where football has not been the most important thing," his statement read. "We will play for Christian, and as always for all of Denmark. That is the greatest motivation for us all. As always, we will do our best."
16:20
It's another road trip for Belgium, who have really racked up the air miles over the last week. "In terms of logistics, it's probably the hardest we could've had, playing Russia in Saint Petersburg in the first game and then Denmark in the second in Copenhagen, and then going back to Saint Petersburg," said Martinez. "We need to adjust our preparation and we'll make sure that the logistics are just right."
16:15
Roberto Martinez also makes two changes to his Belgium side, with Jason Denayer and Dries Mertens coming in for Dedryck Boyata and Timothy Castagne. Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne are named amongst the substitutes and are expected to at least make a cameo.
16:10
Two changes for Denmark as Jannick Vestergaard comes in for Jonas Wind while Mikkel Damsgaard provides the vocal point in absence of Eriksen.
16:05
TEAM NEWS - Belgium XI: Courtois, Alderweireld, Denayer, Vertonghen, Meunier, Dendoncker, Tielemans, Thorgan Hazard, Mertens, Carrasco, Lukaku.. subs: Vermaelen, Boyata, Witsel, De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Mignolet, Sels, Benteke, Batshuayi, Trossard, Doku, Praet/// Denmark XI: Schmeichel, Wass, Christensen, Kjaer, Vestergaard, Maehle, Damsgaard, Hojbjerg, Delaney, Poulsen, Braithwaite.. subs: Andersen, Skov, Skov Olsen, Dolberg, Mathias Zanka Jorgensen, Norgaard, Lossl, Stryger Larsen, Wind, Cornelius, Ronnow, Jensen