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BRUSSELS — As the 2024 UEFA European Championships approaches, Belgian national coach Domenico Tedesco expressed hope for the return of Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne, who missed most of the qualification games due to injuries.
"Kevin doesn't need long preparations. Having him around is undoubtedly increasing our quality," the 38-year-old Italian-rooted coach told Xinhua.
After a disappointing performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Belgium underwent significant generational changes. Tedesco, who previously coached Schalke and Leipzig, considers host Germany and England as the favorites for the upcoming Euros.
Tedesco also spoke about Spain, France, and Italy as teams "we all will have to keep an eye on."
Regarding his side, Tedesco spoke about "taking the role as their group's favorite" when crossing swords with Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
"We want to reach the knock-out stage; that is our first goal," the Italian-born German said, adding he has confidence about his team's quality.
Belgium had an unbeaten qualification campaign, securing six victories and two draws against teams including Austria and Sweden.
Tedesco praised Germany for their recent performance improvements, highlighted by victories over the Netherlands and France, under the leadership of coach Julian Nagelsmann and sporting director Rudi Voeller.
Regarding England, Tedesco said: "They are a team relying on world-class quality. We played them and can say, the Three Lions are a serious force."
"They have a range of experienced players such as Kane, Grealish, Stones, and Walker, not to speak of their gifted youngsters."
Tedesco spoke about the Belgian national team as "a factor uniting the country."
While the countries' three language parts such as the French, Dutch, and German-speaking parts "might have their peculiarities in club football, the entire nation is gathering behind their national team."