Timothy Castagne will be the captain of the Red Devils for the final Nations League Group A2 meeting against Israel on Sunday (8:45 p.m.) in Budapest. The full-back confirmed the information at a press conference on Saturday evening in the Hungarian capital.
“It’s something very special, an honor,” confided the 52-cap player. “With this armband I will have to speak more, although it is already something I do. But here, even more than usual. I will pass on my experience to the team.”
If he had pointed out the lack of pressing during the defeat against Italy on Thursday (0-1), Castagne defended himself by explaining that he had not criticized the tactic: “We discussed it , but that wasn’t the point. My goal here is to win tomorrow’s match. We haven’t won many games recently, partly because we’ve often played big nations. A victory would allow us to conclude this international break on a positive note.
With Amadou Onana, Romelu Lukaku, Maxim De Cuyper, Arthur Theate and Roméo Lavia absent, these are the big names who will miss Sunday’s fateful meeting: “I understand that we are here with so few starters. Those who are not there are hurt.”
The first leg saw the Belgians win 3-1 over Israel. A defeat by more than two goals would condemn Belgium to relegation.
The third in the group will indeed play play-offs next spring to remain in League A against a second in the group from League B. The team which finishes in fourth place in the group is automatically relegated to League B.
Belgium
