Romelu Lukaku has received criticism after the misfiring centre-forward spurned 0.60 in xGF in their 1-0 loss to Slovakia.

Despite missing some big chances, Lukaku – who also had two goals chalked off by VAR – did find himself in goal-scoring positions time and time again for Belgium and he managed to find the target twice from the three attempts he mustered.

The 31-year-old, who had at least two shots on target in four of his last five competitive outings for Les Diables Rouges, is likely to keep his place in Domenico Tedesco’s XI against Romania and backed up by a creative supporting cast, he should be presented with more opportunities to score.

Lukaku found the target with 32 of his 64 shots during Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualification campaign and lodged at least two attempts on target in five of his nine starts in the group. The striker – who is still officially on Chelsea’s books – is very backable in the 2+ shots on target market again here.

Razvan Marin’s namesake, Marius, had been expected to get through the most dirty work in midfield for Romania against Ukraine, but while Marius Marin did top the pile for tackles attempted on Monday (5), it was Razvan who committed the most fouls (2).

The 28-year-old was never far from the action in Munich on Monday and alongside committing two fouls and collecting a yellow card, he notched Romania’s second goal in their superb triumph over Ukraine.

In six starts during Romania’s Euro 2024 qualification campaign, Marin committed at least two fouls on four separate occasions, so the trend of him throwing his weight around is well-established.

Marin also gave away at least one free kick in 20 of his 30 Serie A appearances for his club Empoli during the 2023/24 season and he could be on the referee’s radar again when he lines up against a possession-hungry Belgian outfit.

Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard was subbed off after 74 minutes of Belgium’s surprise loss to Slovakia on Monday, though the winger was a threatening presence before his withdrawal.

Trossard had three attempts on goal against the Slovakians, indeed, no other player involved in Frankfurt managed more and the 29-year-old could clock at least another two shots against Romania.

The Romanians defended stoutly in their matchday one win, however, Ukraine’s Mykhalio Mudryk did rack up three attempts from his berth on the left and Trossard – who is usually deployed in a similar position – could pose a similar threat.

Trossard had three shots in three of his four appearances during Belgium’s successful Euro 2024 qualification journey and the ex-Brighton star, who averaged 3.30 shots per 90 in the Premier League for Arsenal last term, can make his presence felt in the final third again.

With his wand of a right foot, Kevin De Bruyne remains Belgium’s main source of creative magic and the 31-year-old played a game-high four key passes in Monday’s loss to Slovakia.

De Bruyne’s ability to slice through defences with his laser-like distribution can make him a target for worried opponents however, and he was fouled twice on matchday one – no Belgian player was fouled more than the midfielder.

The Manchester City star is used to being knocked about and the marked man was fouled at least once in six of his last seven domestic appearances for the Cityzens and at least twice in three of those games.

Limiting De Bruyne’s influence is likely to be a key tenet of Romania’s gameplan on Saturday, so expect Belgium’s skipper to come in for some rough treatment again.

Romanian centre-forward Denis Dragus turned heads as something of an unknown quantity on Monday when he ruffled feathers in the Ukrainian defence, though regular followers of Turkey’s Super Lig weren’t surprised about his impact in the slightest.

The 24-year-old’s goal in Romania’s 3-0 triumph, which was converted from his only effort on target, was just his third strike in 12 appearances for his country, though his excellent showing on matchday one was powered by the momentum he built at the back end of the club campaign with Gaziantep FK.

In his final 11 Super Lig runouts of 2023/34, Dragus racked up 43 attempts at goal combined, 17 of which hit the target. Indeed, he managed at least one shot on target in 9 of those 11 matches and in 19 of his last 22 Super Lig appearances overall for Gaziantep FK.

This is a player riding a genuine wave of confidence and Dragus could test Belgium with at least another shot on target on Saturday.

Right-back Timothy Castagne put in an awkward shift at best against Slovakia on Monday and the 28-year-old’s underwhelming display included the concession of two fouls.

The Fulham defender is generally more comfortable pushing forward from his berth at the back than tackling his bread-and-butter defensive duties and the timing of Castagne’s challenges is often questionable.

Castagne fouled in four of his last seven Euro 2024 qualifiers for Belgium while the former Leicester man also committed at least one foul in 13 separate Premier League fixtures for Fulham last season and at least two in six of the same games.

An axis of Nicusor Bancu, Florinel Coman and Nicolae Stanciu combined to good effect down the left flank for Romania against Ukraine on Monday and the same trio could drag Castagne into some uncomfortable positions on Saturday. Back Castagne to foul at least once again.