Paris (France) (AFP)

Belgium will become a disaster on Thursday the first team qualified for the Euro-2020, while the Netherlands, great absentees of the previous edition, will have to avoid getting in trouble with Northern Ireland.

Obtaining the qualification in Brussels could not be easier on paper for the Red Devils: the match, facing San Marino, represents the big absolute difference in terms of statistics, the first against the last Fifa and a score perfect against a zero in six games in these playoffs.

To qualify, the Belgians must simply ensure that they do not become the first team San Marino has ever beaten in the playoffs.

The Belgians would then be the first to compile their ticket, before England can reach it on Friday; and before Spain and Italy could do so Saturday, these two nations will however tie their fate to the results of other meetings in their respective group.

Belgium could even qualify even before playing, if Kazakhstan and Cyprus, who face off in the afternoon, draw.

In this case Russia, second in Group I, will have a chance to score her ticket in the evening if she beats Scotland in Moscow.

Much less serene than their Belgian neighbors, the Netherlands, third in their group C, will be reassured if they beat in Northern Ireland, which counts before the meeting three points ahead of them.

Already absent from Euro-2016 and World Cup-2018, the Oranje and their stars van Dijk, Ligt and others of Jong must win to avoid doubting.

And even if a bad surprise is catching up: they count one match in less with opponents in their range while the North-Irish will conclude these eliminatory ... in Germany.

In a very tight E group, the Croatian vice-world champions (1st, 10 pts) will try to keep off Hungary (3rd, 9 pts), and Slovakia (2nd, 9 pts) to make the hole with the Country Wales (4th, 6 pts, one game less).

Thursday's schedule of matches (in French hours, GMT + 2):

Group C

(18h00) Belarus - Estonia

(8:45 pm) Netherlands - Northern Ireland

Group E

(8:45 pm) Slovakia - Wales

(8:45 pm) Croatia - Hungary

Group G

(8:45 pm) Latvia - Poland

(8:45 pm) North Macedonia - Slovenia

(8:45 pm) Austria - Israel

Group I

(16h00) Kazakhstan - Cyprus

(8:45 pm) Russia - Scotland

(8:45 pm) Belgium - San Marino

© 2019 AFP