Three European Giants Eye Quarterfinal Spots in the UEFA Nations League
France, Italy, and Portugal each aim to secure places in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals as they approach their fifth and sixth-round matches on Thursday and Sunday.
With European champions Spain and Germany already through to the quarterfinals, six spots remain up for grabs going into the final two rounds.
Italy and Portugal, both unbeaten so far, need just one point to qualify, while France also finds itself in a favorable position before hosting Israel.
Star forward Kylian Mbappé remains absent from the French lineup, with coach Didier Deschamps asserting, “The absence of the Real Madrid star is for the best.”
Deschamps added last week, “I won’t give my reasons [for excluding Mbappé], but I will say two things. First, Kylian wanted to join, and second, it has nothing to do with off-field issues, as the presumption of innocence applies [regarding the assault allegations against him in Sweden].”
Among other absences, Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has been replaced by Inter Milan’s Benjamin Pavard due to recurring pain in his left knee. Winger Ousmane Dembélé is also sidelined due to discomfort in his right hamstring.
France’s second match will be against Italy, the group leader, which will first travel to Belgium, needing a win or draw to secure its quarterfinal spot.
Their last encounter ended in a 2-2 draw, despite Italy playing with ten men for 55 minutes, and Italy won the three preceding meetings. Belgium’s chances appear poor, with only four points on the board.
Portugal Looks to Seal Its Spot at Home
Portugal, leading Group A, seeks to clinch qualification when it hosts Poland before facing Croatia.
Star forward Cristiano Ronaldo will aim to lead his national team to another victory over Poland following their 3-1 win in the first matchup. This will be the fifteenth meeting between the two teams and their seventh since 2007, with Portugal undefeated (three wins, three draws).
The “Seleção” of Europe hopes to continue their strong form at home, where they have won 19 matches with only two losses since September 2021.
However, the team will be without several key players, including Rúben Dias, Rúben Neves, and Diogo Jota due to injuries.
Poland, in third place with four points, needs a win, while Croatia, currently at 10 points, seeks to progress by beating last-place Scotland (one point).
Spain, meanwhile, hopes to extend its lead when it faces second-place Denmark. Missing from Spain’s squad is forward Lamine Yamal, sidelined for two to three weeks, while newcomers Samu Omorodion, Marc Casado, and Aitor Paredes join the team.
The Netherlands will play Hungary on Saturday in a decisive Group C match. Both teams hold five points, while Germany, with ten points, will face Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In League B, England needs a win over Greece on Thursday in Athens to stay in contention for a return to League A.
Greece, the only team with a perfect record in League B, defeated England 2-1 at Wembley last month.
The English squad will enter the match under interim manager Lee Carsley, who will officially hand over to German coach Thomas Tuchel at the start of the new year.
Carsley faces the absence of eight players initially called up for the games with Greece and Ireland, including Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, Chelsea’s Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer, Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
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