Live broadcast (6pm): Belgium U-21 will soon open the European Championship with a derby match against the Netherlands | 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

In the Netherlands, we will already see a familiar face, with Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen among the players. Vitesse goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen held all the qualifying matches, but the national coach still preferred Verbruggen for the final tournament.

“Tough decision,” says Van de Loy. “But Bart has done an excellent job in recent months and has developed well. He has qualities that suit our style of play. He’s a choice between good and better.”

Round -1 in Georgia. Meaning: press conferences. The Dutch Devils rivals are already looking forward to their opener against Belgium this morning.

“We want to win every game here in this European championship and win the title. That’s the goal,” said captain Quentin Timber, Feyenoord’s tough guy.

“Belgium is a strong team. We narrowly beat them 1-2 in September last year. We analyzed them well. Many players in our squad also play in Belgium. We are aware of their qualities, but we focus ourselves. We also have a strong team.”

National team coach Erwin van de Looy also warned Belgium: “There are also some Red Devils with complete skills. These are the choices that many teams make. Of course they have guys like Openda and De Ketelary, but other players are also reaching a high level. It’s a strong team.” And we have a lot of respect for them.”

The Dutch coach indicated that he cursed when he learned that Obenda would join the Belgian national team. He laughed.

“Of course I’m exaggerating a bit. Of course players like that can make a difference, but having them there is good for the championship’s prestige. We want to win this European championship, but we’re also here to learn.”

A big boost for the little devils. Loïs Openda arrived in Georgia this morning. The top scorer also trained on the spot in the afternoon. A final training session for the opening match against the Netherlands is scheduled for tomorrow at 4pm. Coaches Jackie Mathisen, Luis Obenda and Nicholas Raskin will speak to the press.