Andorra v Belgium background
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Article summary
Belgium will hope to confirm their place in the finals of UEFA EURO 2016 as they come to Andorra knowing a win would confirm a top-two finish in Group B.
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Article body
An away game against Andorra gives Belgium the opportunity to confirm their place at UEFA EURO 2016 as one of the top sides in Group B.
• Andorra are certain to finish bottom of the section.
• Belgium are four points clear of Israel – the only side that can deny them a top-two finish.
Previous meetings
• Belgium beat Andorra 6-0 in the sides' opening Group B meeting, the result matching the margin of Belgium's biggest UEFA European Championship victory.
• Belgium had won both of their previous matches against Andorra, but by relatively narrow margins: 1-0 away and 3-0 at home in UEFA EURO 2004 qualifying.
Form guide
• Andorra have yet to avoid defeat in 48 UEFA European Championship games.
• They have lost 52 competitive matches in a row since drawing 0-0 with Finland in September 2005. They picked up five points in that 2006 World Cup qualifying tilt – five more than they have earned in any other qualifying campaign.
• Belgium's four Group B away games to date have ended W2 D1 L1; they have scored no more than once in any of those matches.
Disciplinary
• Victor Rodríguez begins a two-game ban against Belgium, when Cristian Martínez and Josep Ayala are also suspended. Moisés San Nicolás, Marc Rebés, Márcio Vieira and Iván Lorenzo will all incur a suspension with their next bookings.
• Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Lombaerts will incur a ban with their next bookings.
Trivia and links
• Andorra midfielder Vieira turns 31 on the day of the Belgium game.
• Belgium have not played in a UEFA European Championship since they were co-hosts of UEFA EURO 2000 with the Netherlands. They last qualified for the final tournament in 1984.
• The nations' only meeting in a UEFA age-group tournament ended in a 4-0 loss for Andorra's Under-19s in 2010. In the only UEFA meetings between the nations' clubs, K. Lierse SK beat FC Encamp 7-1 over two legs in the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup first round.