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Reuters

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Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgium will change their formation for Saturday’s Euro 2016 qualifier away to minnows Andorra in order to hand Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne a playmaker role, coach Marc Wilmots said on Tuesday.

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Belgium will book their place in next year’s finals in France with victory over Andorra in what is expected to be a routine assignment.

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Wilmots said he would set his side up differently to normal and dispense with a defensive midfielder, putting De Bruyne behind the attack, supported by two other English-based players, Tottenham Hotspur’s Nacer Chadli and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.

“Kevin can accelerate the play, he can score and he can set up goals for others. I’ll have two midfielders playing in support of De Bruyne,” he said.

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“I’ve told my players we are not going to play the long ball like we did against Cyprus (last month in a 1-0 away win). “I want short passes over the field, that will be our approach to the game.”

Belgium are currently second in Group B, one point behind leaders Wales. Their final game is at home to Israel next Tuesday.

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(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Toby Davis)

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Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is EssentiallySports’ foremost authority on motorsport and a founding member of the outlet’s NASCAR desk. A Journalism graduate fluent in English and French, he brings over eight years of motorsports journalism experience covering everything from high-octane NASCAR battles to the finesse of Formula 1 and MotoGP. His extensive paddock access has earned him exclusive interviews with top names such as F1’s Pierre Gasly and Moto2’s Tony Arbolino, cementing his reputation as a trusted voice among racing fans. Known for his candid opinions, Dhruv isn’t afraid to tackle contentious officiating calls, most recently defending Joey Logano after the DYL penalty in Phoenix. Before focusing on NASCAR as a Senior Writer, Dhruv contributed extensively to EssentiallySports’ coverage of F1 and NASCAR, building a versatile and impactful sports portfolio.

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