Belgium will be without veteran defender Axel Witsel for Friday's crucial Euro 2024 date with Romania for injury reasons, coach Domenico Tedesco has said.
"There were no problems in training. But he then had some pain and didn't feel well. We can't take any risks, so we decided that he will take a break," Tedesco told reporters on Thursday.
Atletico Madrid's Witsel did not travel to Cologne for the match where Belgium aim to rebound from a shock 1-0 defeat against Slovakia in their opener.
"We have to do our homework," Tedesco urged.
Should Belgium win, all four teams in Group E would be on three points, as Ukraine rebounded from a 3-0 defeat against Romania with a 2-1 win over Slovakia.
Tedesco said that Witsel should be back for what could be the crucial final game against Ukraine on Tuesday, and possibly more.
"We hope it is nothing serious. We will sit down with the doctors and debate how to continue," Tedesco said.
