The UEFA Nations League is approaching the climactic final stage in Portugal next week, where four of Europe’s best teams go head-to-head for the first time in the competition’s history. Let us take a closer look at each of the four semi-finalists and what to expect from them. Bet on football here.
Portugal’s poor form in front of goal to continue?
Portugal came out on top of Group Three in the UEFA Nations League A last year ahead of Italy and Poland, as they finished unbeaten with eight points from four matches. Interestingly they scored the fewest goals out of the four Nations League Group winning teams, after managing a total of five goals from four outings. Under 2.5 Goals has landed in eight of Portugal’s last 11 international matches and we don’t see that changing as they approach the latter stages of the competition. They have been solid in defence and they will be counting on a disciplined performance to get a result. You can expect a low scoring affair heading into this fixture. Under 2.5 Goals is placed at odds of ….
Haris Seferovic to lead the line for Switzerland
Switzerland will come into next week’s Nations League Finals as the outsiders to lift the trophy. Despite being the underdogs, they have worked hard to make it to this stage and they have their goalscoring exploits to thank for this. They scored more goals than any of the other three group winners, finding the net 14 times in four games. Haris Seferović scored four times in his last three appearances for the Swiss national team and he finished as the top scorer in the 2018/19 Portuguese Primeira Liga with 23 goals. You can definitely expect him to have a big say in this match as they seek to win the tournament.
Virgil Van Dijk to inspire the Oranje
The Netherlands surprised everyone when they finished top of the pile in Nations League Group One, ahead of World Cup winners France and Germany. Central to their strong showing is the imposing central defensive partnership of Matthijs De Ligt and Virgil Van Dijk. Van Dijk has had a phenomenal season after winning the Premier League Player of the Year, whilst coming on top with the man of the match award in the Champions League Final. There has been talk of the Dutchman being the leading contender for the Ballon d’Or and he will want to live up to his billing.
Fatigue to affect the Three Lions
England maintained their positive momentum by topping Nations League A Group Four in front of Spain and their World Cup conquerors Croatia in November. The Three Lions capitalized on momentum to start their Euro 2020 qualification schedule with emphatic victories against the Czech Republic and Montenegro respectively. However, with seven of their 23-man squad involved in the just concluded all-English Champions League Final, fatigue could come in the way of the team’s progress and performance in Portugal.