Euros 2020: Belgium's Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bryune doubtful for quarters clash with Italy

Belgium captain Eden Hazard and midfielder Kevin de Bruyne are doubtful for their country's quarter-final clash with Italy, head coach Roberto Martinez said on Thursday.

Manchester City's De Bruyne sustained an ankle injury in Belgium's last-16 victory over Portugal on Sunday and was substituted just three minutes into the second half. The injury was a result of a challenge from behind from Joao Palhinha during a Belgium counter-attack just before the half-time break.

Later on, it was revealed that de Bruyne had suffered a ligament injury. After missing Belgium's opening game of the Euros 2020 due to a facial injury, de Bruyne returned to net a goal and provide an assist in Belgium's 2-1 win over Denmark before setting up Romelu Lukaku's goal in Belgium's 2-0 victory over Finland.

Meanwhile, the Belgium skipper Hazard has played each of Belgium's games so far in the Euros. While he has not managed to score, he made an assist in Belgium's 2-1 triumph over Denmark. His form has majorly improved following a forgettable season with Real Madrid, where he featured in only 14 La Liga matches and suffered several injury setbacks.

Overall, Hazard made 21 competitive appearances for Los Blancos in the 2020-21 campaign, scoring four goals and assisting one as Real Madrid finished the season trophy-less for the first time since the 2009-10 term.

"It will be difficult for Eden to play tomorrow because of a soft tissue injury and maybe a little different for Kevin who's had a ligament problem. We know that we are fighting against time but we are going to take until the last minute to take the decision. We have seen an improvement but we'll only see tomorrow whether they can be involved or not. Unfortunately, we cannot make a decision at the moment,"

Belgium coach Martinez said in a news conference on the eve of their last-16 game.

The head coach went on to say that it was a pity that Belgium and Italy were meeting at this stage of the tournament, considering they have been the best two teams statistically.

"We are the best two teams statistically at the tournament. Two teams that have each won a record 14 games in a row in the European Championship. It's a shame we have to face each other in the quarter-final. But it's the quality of this tournament I suppose and we need to be ready for it. There are not a lot of secrets, both sides look like club teams and tomorrow's game is going to be decided by small details," added Martinez.

After finishing third at the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, Belgium are trying to win their major trophy as they are coming off a streak of 13 unbeaten games and are currently No. 1 in the world.

Meanwhile, the Italians have been unbeaten in as many as 31 matches straight, which is a national record, but they were forced into extra time by Austria in the Round of 16.

Both Italy and Belgium have won all their group matches, with giants like France, Netherlands, and Portugal eliminated from Euros 2020. The winner of the game between Italy and Belgium will certainly be favourites for the title.