Denmark vs. Belgium
When: Thursday, June 17
Denmark: Andreas Christensen
Belgium: Michy Batshuayi (and Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, etc.)
Not nearly as much to get excited about here compared to the earlier matches. Denmark is just fine, but not nearly on Belgium’s level. One interesting thing to watch will be how Andreas Christensen handles being a relative superstar in a squad that lacks much star power. With Christian Eriksen’s status diminishing and very few notable attackers, a Champions League-winning defender (who had a sneaky incredible performance in the final) could be one of the few notable talking points in the rare moments commentators will mention Denmark rather than its more illustrious opponent.
Speaking of Belgium, I’d be lying if I said Michy Batshuayi was the biggest draw for Chelsea fans. Eden Hazard will be there, and you just get the feeling that he’ll get it together for Belgium in a way he never managed for Real Madrid, in a sort of perverse Gareth Bale impression. If that’s the case, do yourself a favor and tune into the Real Madrid Twittersphere. It’ll be a hoot. Apart from Hazard, it will be worth keeping an eye on Romelu Lukaku, who Chelsea is still being linked with as a transfer target. Other points of interest include the presumably masked Kevin De Bruyne, the briefly-Chelsea affiliated Thorgan Hazard and the always contemptible Thibaut Courtois.
To bring it back to actual Chelsea players, Batshuayi could very well be a meaningful contributor to this team, albeit most likely as a sub. If he plays his cards right, he could produce another high-quality meme to go with his celebratory punt off the post and into his own face from the World Cup.
Prediction: 2-0 Belgium
Maybe a bit of a slow burn for Belgium as its stars of varying fitness levels try to piece it all together, but Denmark should be easy to dominate, albeit with a fair bit of defensive solidity.