Attacking credentials could prove decisive for Belgium

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots named a 24-man preliminary squad for Euro 2016 this week and he has plenty of attacking options to choose from.

The Red Devils head into the tournament as the highest placed European nation in the world rankings and they eased their way into the finals by topping a qualifying group that also contained Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Wilmots’ men scored 24 goals during the qualifying process and their preliminary squad certainly contains a wealth of attacking talent with forwards Romelu Lukaku and Michy Batshuayi having scored 35 goals between them for their respective club sides this season.

Liverpool duo Christian Benteke and Divock Origi are also capable of leading the line at international level with 40 caps between them, while Wilmots also has a host of options to choose from in the wide-areas.

Eden Hazard appears to have returned to form at just the right time after impressing during the final weeks of the season for Chelsea, while Kevin De Bruyne will also head into the tournament on the back of an impressive first season with Manchester City.

Napoli’s Dries Mertens and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco of Atletico Madrid prove that Wilmots also has plenty of cover in the wide positions, while Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini could also provide an alternative attacking option at the finals.

Belgium will also head into the tournament with more experience following their quarter-final showing at the 2014 World Cup and they will fancy their chances of progressing through to the knockout stages of the competition from a group that also contains Italy, Sweden and Republic of Ireland.

The Red Devils best showing at a European Championships came in 1980 when they reached the final of the tournament, and they are available at 12.00 to go one-better than that this summer and in doing so claim their first major international honour.