Belgium failed to reach the Quarter-finals of Euro 2000 but Craig Brown remains convinced they could give Scotland problems in trying to qualify for the next World Cup.

'The Belgians must be the most unlucky team in this tournament so far,' Brown said as he appraised the co- hosts' performances over three group games from which they managed to take just the same number of points.

'They were very unlucky against Italy and exceedingly unlucky against Turkey. I think they will be a very difficult team to beat in our qualifying programme for Japan.'

Brown, in contracting to work as a summariser for BBC Radio's Five Live at the European Championships, insisted on being allowed to track the Belgians for as long as they remained in the tournament.

They are the seeded team in Scotland's section for Japan and South Korea in 2002. And after their Euro 2000 opener against Sweden, Scotland's manager claimed that his team had little to fear. Now he has revised that assessment.

'Belgium are a good unit,' Brown stated. 'They work hard for each other and, in this competition, just didn't manage to convert the chances they created.'

Robert Waseige's side are predictable in their strategy, playing a rigid 4-4-2 formation - although goalkeeper Filip de Wilde appears given to more than the odd aberration.

Could it be that the 35-year-old Anderlecht player, hitherto Belgium's No1 choice for the position, won't be around when Scotland play Belgium in March in the first of their games against them?

'He made a mistake in their game with Sweden last week when he gave away the goal which Johan Mjallby scored,' Brown recalled. 'At least that one didn't count against his side because they recovered to win 2-1.

'But, in the Turkey game, from which they needed only a point to qualify, de Wilde allowed himself to be out-jumped by Hakan Sukur at the first goal.

'That was horrendous. De Wilde put Belgium in the soup before getting himself sent off as they lost 2-0. Yet he looks a good goalkeeper with an otherwise good attitude.'

Belgium, between beating the Swedes and losing to the Turks, suffered a 2-0 defeat by Italy - yet Brown points out that they were in control of that game for long periods.

'I think there was absolutely no disgrace for them in failing to get in to the last eight,' Brown remarked. 'Certainly, in their game with the Turks, it was a case of the better team losing.

'A top European coach, I won't mention his name, talked afterwards to me of how the disorganised team (Turkey) managed to win. The organisation in the Belgium team was, for the most part, excellent.

'A couple of times they allowed themselves to be caught square in defence. Every back four gets caught like that, although de Wilde showed that he can sweep up well.'

Brown, in sizing up individual Belgians, stressed that Scotland would have to be particularly wary of midfielder Marc Wilmots, who plays with German club Schalke.

He described the 31-year-old as 'magnificent' and was complimentary also towards the Anderlecht pair, Bart Goor, who plays on the left flank, and centre-back and captain Lorenzo Staelens. Fortunately for Scotland, the latter has now retired from international football.

'Luc Nilis is class, alongside Emile Mpenza in attack,' Brown went on. 'Branko Strupar, another striker, didn't do a lot in the tournament but, if I say that, he's liable to head one in against us.'

Scotland's manager was reminded then of something he said after Belgium defeated Sweden: that, if they didn't qualify from their group, they could be dispirited when the World Cup gets under way.

'I would think that their opening game, against Croatia, will be a massive anti-climax for them,' he said. 'It will be a bit like us going to Lithuania two years ago, in the immediate wake of France 98.

'Croatia are bound to have a good chance of getting a favourable result in these circumstances. But I don't want to write off the Belgians because, while they could be on a downer to start with, they may well be right back up again by the time they play us.'