⚽UEFA Nations League 2024/2025⚽

[Lucius]

This competition starts tomorrow and it is strange that none of the regular visitors to this board has already opened the topic, considering that this is a kind of European football championship. It should be noted that the format of the competition consists of 4 main groups (A, B, C, D) of which all but the last one (has 2 subgroups) have 4 subgroups.

Of course, the strongest main group is A, where the best teams of the old continent compete - Portugal, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Germany, France - and for those who are wondering where England is, it is in group B according to last year's results in this competition.

Although many do not consider this competition particularly interesting, it should be emphasized that it has an impact on the ranking that will determine the holders of the groups for the World Championship 2026 qualifiers, and that some teams will surely look for an easier way to these qualifications through this competition.

Considering the large number of subgroups, I will post a link to the official UEFA website where you can see all the details.

Groups, Matches, Teams...


I would single out the match from League A - Group A1 between Portugal and Croatia for tomorrow. Portugal won this competition in the 2018/19 season, while Croatia played in the final in the 2022/23 season and won the silver medal.

As for Croatia, I can say that they are coming here after a big disappointment at the European Championship, and that Domagoj Vida and Marcelo Brozovic have said goodbye to the national team, while a large number of players are injured and will not play tomorrow (Stanisić, Juranovic, Erlic, Vlasic, Majer...). It should also be emphasized that Luka Modric continues to play for the national team, but it is increasingly clear that a man who is almost 40 years old can no longer be the one who should be the driving force in the team.

As for Portugal, it all boils down to whether Ronaldo will play or not, and if anyone has more information about the situation in their team, feel free to write. It is interesting that in a friendly match before Euro 2024, as a guest, Croatia beat Portugal (1-2), which was the first victory for Croatia at all - and there should be no doubt that Portugal will have more motivation in this match.

Bookmakers give the odds for Portugal to win around 1.6, and the odds for Croatia are 5.6


Be aware that this is a self-moderated topic and that spam, plagiarism and the use of AI will not be tolerated - as well as the meaningless use of the quote option.

[Pandorak]

[...] I would single out the match from League A - Group A1 between Portugal and Croatia for tomorrow. Portugal won this competition in the 2018/19 season, while Croatia played in the final in the 2022/23 season and won the silver medal.

As for Croatia, I can say that they are coming here after a big disappointment at the European Championship, and that Domagoj Vida and Marcelo Brozovic have said goodbye to the national team, while a large number of players are injured and will not play tomorrow (Stanisić, Juranovic, Erlic, Vlasic, Majer...). It should also be emphasized that Luka Modric continues to play for the national team, but it is increasingly clear that a man who is almost 40 years old can no longer be the one who should be the driving force in the team.

As for Portugal, it all boils down to whether Ronaldo will play or not, and if anyone has more information about the situation in their team, feel free to write. It is interesting that in a friendly match before Euro 2024, as a guest, Croatia beat Portugal (1-2), which was the first victory for Croatia at all - and there should be no doubt that Portugal will have more motivation in this match.

Bookmakers give the odds for Portugal to win around 1.6, and the odds for Croatia are 5.6 [...]

Croatia's golden generation has passed, the last time i was impressed with this team was at the 2022 World Cup, after that there was nothing there that could impress me with them. As you also said, the pillar players there are also getting older like Luka Modric & we can't expect him to be as good as before.

For Portugal, they are always on the side that has the advantage when they meet less strong teams, Cristiano will play in the match against Croatia, it can be seen from the low odds for Anytime Goalscorer that he gets. So, what are your projections for this match? can Croatia win this match?

[Cryptmuster]

Croatia's golden generation has passed, the last time i was impressed with this team was at the 2022 World Cup, after that there was nothing there that could impress me with them. As you also said, the pillar players there are also getting older like Luka Modric & we can't expect him to be as good as before.

For Portugal, they are always on the side that has the advantage when they meet less strong teams, Cristiano will play in the match against Croatia, it can be seen from the low odds for Anytime Goalscorer that he gets. So, what are your projections for this match? can Croatia win this match?

Perhaps, at least at the Euro, their game was very weak, they could not hold on to the victory in the match with Albania and the same thing happened with Italy, which by the way looked very weak at this tournament. And the match with Spain showed how big the difference is between these teams, so yes, it seems that until Croatia makes some significant changes, we should not expect results from them like in previous years.

Portugal is more stable, they often stick to a good game in defense, they can score a lot with weak opponents, but this does not happen often. By the way, Portugal is also expecting significant changes, Pepe has already finished his career for the national team, and now they will need to think about who can replace him. Ronaldo is not so young anymore, and gradually they will need to be replaced by someone. But although Croatia is weakened, we should not underestimate them, they can very well play another draw.

[Rikafip]

can Croatia win this match?

Croatia can beat anyone on their good day so of course it can beat Portugal too. Having said that, historically Croatia performs poorly vs Portugal so if I had to put money on someoone it would be Portugal (which I can't since I am Croat and can't bet against my own team).

Another interesting game in this round is France vs Italy. Curious to see whether something changes with italians as they were shit this summer.

[Lucius]

Croatia can beat anyone on their good day so of course it can beat Portugal too. Having said that, historically Croatia performs poorly vs Portugal so if I had to put money on someoone it would be Portugal (which I can't since I am Croat and can't bet against my own team).

Considering all the injuries, today we will see some new players on the field, which means that we could see a lot of problems in the coordination of these players, and in addition, I think that the middle of the field will be a weak point for us again, because Modric can realistically play good football for a maximum of some 30 minutes, while Kovacic is simply a much lower quality player and rarely takes responsibility on himself.

In addition, what has been circulating in the Croatian media practically since the end of the Euro is that the League of Nations will only be a "warm-up" for the qualifiers for the World Cup and that the goal is only to stay in this strong group. Given that I don't know how the Portuguese feel about this competition, it's hard to say whether both teams would be satisfied with a draw, but it seems to me that Portugal will still have more motivation to go for the win today.

Another interesting game in this round is France vs Italy. Curious to see whether something changes with italians as they were shit this summer.

Italy has not achieved any success in this competition so far, while on the other hand, France won this competition in the 2020/21 season. Something tells me that Italy will not focus on this competition, while the French will probably take advantage of their home field and achieve victory. Bookmakers give the French very similar odds as it is the case with Portugal.

[Uruhara]

Croatia's golden generation has passed, the last time i was impressed with this team was at the 2022 World Cup, after that there was nothing there that could impress me with them. As you also said, the pillar players there are also getting older like Luka Modric & we can't expect him to be as good as before.

For Portugal, they are always on the side that has the advantage when they meet less strong teams, Cristiano will play in the match against Croatia, it can be seen from the low odds for Anytime Goalscorer that he gets. So, what are your projections for this match? can Croatia win this match?

Since I saw the performance of the Croatian national team at Euro 2024, after that I no longer expected this team to be as strong as in the last World Cup. Remember that Croatia even failed to get past the group stage at Euro 2024. But that doesn't mean I don't hope this team can get through the group stage. For the group phase, maybe I predict that Croatia, who is in League A Group 1, can qualify for the next stage along with Portugal. because in my opinion Poland and Scotland are below Croatia and Portugal in terms of quality and squad depth.

But for Croatia's match against Portugal, I will favorite Portugal. Because Portugal has proven and put on a very good performance at Euro 2024. And the depth of Portugal's squad, which also has many potential young players and several star players, can be expected to be at the top in League 1 Group 1. Cristiano Ronaldo will also still play. with the Portuguese national team so I can't wait to see this match.

[un_rank]

Another interesting game in this round is France vs Italy. Curious to see whether something changes with italians as they were shit this summer.

France were also poor in the summer. They got to the semi final against Italy that dropped in EURO group stage, but their overall performance was poor winning only one match all through the competition (in regular time). They will be looking to bounce back and show they are strong contenders for the next World Cup. I think France squeezes out a narrow victory.

- Jay -

[yudi09]

Croatia's golden generation has passed, the last time i was impressed with this team was at the 2022 World Cup, after that there was nothing there that could impress me with them. As you also said, the pillar players there are also getting older like Luka Modric & we can't expect him to be as good as before.

Back then players like Luca Modric were not as old as they are now and at that time his performance was still very good as the brain behind Croatia's game. But in this tournament I don't want to say that Croatia's golden generation is over because Modric, Kovacic and several other names are still there who might be able to give their best for Croatia.

So, what are your projections for this match? can Croatia win this match?

The chance of winning is 50:50. The rest I don't dare to predict the result.

[Pandorak]

[...]

Croatia can beat anyone on their good day so of course it can beat Portugal too. Having said that, historically Croatia performs poorly vs Portugal so if I had to put money on someoone it would be Portugal (which I can't since I am Croat and can't bet against my own team).

Another interesting game in this round is France vs Italy. Curious to see whether something changes with italians as they were shit this summer.

Lastly, i had a nationalistic spirit when gambling made me lose my money, i'm Indonesian, and recently our team is growing very rapidly. For several occasions, i put my money on our country side, what happened was not good but bad things to me. by the way, from your statement, it means you are pessimistic that your country can win, right?

France - Italy, no need to think too much about this match, i looked at the bookies & found that France have small odds, easy win & easy money in this match.

[Joca97]

For me today and easy pick is Spain to win against Serbia. Im from Serbia but our team dosent have at least 5 start players in our first team. Plus we arent playing good at all so i think Spain will probobly destroy us. The entire attack of Serbia isnt playing Mitrovic,Vlahovic,Jovic,Kostic,Milinkovic-Savic… so this should be an easy win for Spain with a huge odd of 1.55 currently.

[naira]

can Croatia win this match?

Croatia can beat anyone on their good day so of course it can beat Portugal too. Having said that, historically Croatia performs poorly vs Portugal so if I had to put money on someoone it would be Portugal (which I can't since I am Croat and can't bet against my own team).

Another interesting game in this round is France vs Italy. Curious to see whether something changes with italians as they were shit this summer.

It seems that there will be a tight competition between Group 1 and Group 2 (League A), where Portugal's barrier to qualifying must at least conquer 2 big matches, namely Croatia and Poland, but Scotland does not rule out the possibility of providing a surprise. While in Group 2 France, Italy, and Belgium will be difficult to predict, of the three France and Italy are my favorites to qualify.

Because it was circulating that Ronaldo would appear in the 2026 cup, this is his last chance to appear with the Portuguese national team. Unfortunately, Croatia has a fairly solid defense, with Portugal's current condition it will not be easy to penetrate it.

[Unsoldier]

Croatia's golden generation has passed, the last time i was impressed with this team was at the 2022 World Cup, after that there was nothing there that could impress me with them. As you also said, the pillar players there are also getting older like Luka Modric & we can't expect him to be as good as before.

For Portugal, they are always on the side that has the advantage when they meet less strong teams, Cristiano will play in the match against Croatia, it can be seen from the low odds for Anytime Goalscorer that he gets. So, what are your projections for this match? can Croatia win this match?

Since I saw the performance of the Croatian national team at Euro 2024, after that I no longer expected this team to be as strong as in the last World Cup. Remember that Croatia even failed to get past the group stage at Euro 2024. But that doesn't mean I don't hope this team can get through the group stage. For the group phase, maybe I predict that Croatia, who is in League A Group 1, can qualify for the next stage along with Portugal. because in my opinion Poland and Scotland are below Croatia and Portugal in terms of quality and squad depth.

But for Croatia's match against Portugal, I will favorite Portugal. Because Portugal has proven and put on a very good performance at Euro 2024. And the depth of Portugal's squad, which also has many potential young players and several star players, can be expected to be at the top in League 1 Group 1. Cristiano Ronaldo will also still play. with the Portuguese national team so I can't wait to see this match.

At Euro 2024, Portugal looked better than Croatia. Ronaldo and the entire team played vibrant football, though they were knocked out in the Round of 16 after a penalty shootout against France. Croatia, on the other hand, failed to advance from the group stage and didn’t secure a single win, with a 0-3 loss to Spain and two draws against Albania (2-2) and Italy (1-1). Dalic’s team lacked fresh legs at the World Cup 2024, and the older players struggled to carry the team.

Portugal, in contrast, has plenty of young talent, and Ronaldo is now playing a more team-oriented game. Portugal is the favorite in today’s match, but both teams will be eager to score. My prediction: both teams will score.

[Lucius]

~snip~
Dalic’s team lacked fresh legs at the World Cup 2024, and the older players struggled to carry the team.

Dalic had young gems on the bench and it turned out that whenever young Baturina or Sucic entered the game, the game would improve significantly - but Dalic was adamant about keeping the old players in the game because he believes that he owes it to them for everything they did before. After the EURO, he declared on national TV that they (we call them senators) will play as long as they want. Unfortunately, this is something that only makes young players nervous, and one of the young hopes of Croatian football decided to wear the jersey of the Canadian national team a few days ago (Niko Sigur).

[3meek]

I also think Portugal should win today... Croatia didn't impress me at the last Euro... They need a change of generation of players like Spain or England had... Maybe then they will become a top team again... But today I think Croatia can't do anything... Also I think there will be a lot of corners in this match...

[LTU_btc]

Honestly, don't fell very excited about Nations League tournament. Importance of this tournament is just a bit more important than friendly games. But still going to watch. Probably biggest game of 1st matchday is San Marino - Liechtenstein. You won't see such powerhouses playing each other often. But seriously, it's good chance for these small teams to get rare wins and give some joy for their fans. I put over 1.5 goals bet on this game.
Going with Spain and Slovakia ML and over 2.5 goals in Portugal - Spain game.

[AprilioMP]

I also think Portugal should win today... Croatia didn't impress me at the last Euro... They need a change of generation of players like Spain or England had... Maybe then they will become a top team again... But today I think Croatia can't do anything... Also I think there will be a lot of corners in this match...

Portugal's win over Croatia only has an impact on the head to head statistics because I don't think the UEFA Nations League is a competition that is too focused on by teams like Portugal and other teams. I think that this competition is only used to maintain the compactness of the squad formed by Roberto Martinez as Portugal coach and Zlatko Dalic as Croatia coach.

Martinez and Dalic of course think about the future of their respective squads. Maybe if they want to be compared to England and Spain, for each of Martinez and Dalic they have their own patterns because it's not good to be someone else.

As long as Croatia play seriously, they can definitely overcome Portugal's resistance.

[Lida93]

Croatia's golden generation has passed, the last time i was impressed with this team was at the 2022 World Cup, after that there was nothing there that could impress me with them. As you also said, the pillar players there are also getting older like Luka Modric & we can't expect him to be as good as before.

For Portugal, they are always on the side that has the advantage when they meet less strong teams, Cristiano will play in the match against Croatia, it can be seen from the low odds for Anytime Goalscorer that he gets. So, what are your projections for this match? can Croatia win this match?

well, I would rather say it's the end of an era for Croatia and they should start thinking about building a new team that can be as formidable as the team that played in the World Cup finals in 2018 in Russia, though they might not be that lucky to get to level up entirely but they really need to have some changes in their dressing room because the likes of Luka Modric are almost worn-out and may soon retire. For tonight's game, I think Portugal are going to beat the Croatians because it's obvious the Portuguese have a better squad and are more coordinated team than the Croatians and besides the Portuguese have won this tournament before and would be playing with more confidence tonight than the Croatians.

[Majestic-milf]

 I don't understand why Sweden will always find it hard to get results whenever they meet smaller teams because I don't see why they should be waiting till the second half to be getting goals. Granted they are two goals up but it's as if they needed a prodding before they'd act. Had it been the Azerbaijan player, Sheydayev hadn't missed his penalty, that means they wouldn't have woken up? I expected better from the team and with the likes of Isak, Kukusevski and the rest, this game should be an easy one.
 

[Sexylizzy2813]

Portugal against Croatia tonight is going to be a game many would expect to see a one sided game, that's the Portugal team making it hard for the visitors with goals and unexpected runs from the wingers, since we have a Portugal side that seems to be the favorite. I won't really say Portugal are going to give a better performance since CR7 is definitely going to start the game, from some of the games he started that spark of brilliance is missing in the team, like they're not that sharp and their final passes and goal decision making is never complete. Is like a commander is stopping the other players  from playing what they know but to play to his (CR7) tune. Anyway, I think the Croatia side won't let the game be all about the home team, they're going to get a goal and try to defend it, but for how long, only time would tell. If I'm to go for any tip, a both team score is certain.

[mv1986]

Portugal against Croatia tonight is going to be a game many would expect to see a one sided game, that's the Portugal team making it hard for the visitors with goals and unexpected runs from the wingers, since we have a Portugal side that seems to be the favorite. I won't really say Portugal are going to give a better performance since CR7 is definitely going to start the game, from some of the games he started that spark of brilliance is missing in the team, like they're not that sharp and their final passes and goal decision making is never complete. Is like a commander is stopping the other players  from playing what they know but to play to his (CR7) tune. Anyway, I think the Croatia side won't let the game be all about the home team, they're going to get a goal and try to defend it, but for how long, only time would tell. If I'm to go for any tip, a both team score is certain.

I am still confused why that is the case. Is it because it is a home game for Portugal? Let's assume for a second that this was a game at a European Championship, nobody would say that Portugal is a huge favorite, but indeed the bookmakers give Croatia closer to a 6-0 whereas Portugal is around a 1.50. What am I missing here? Wouldn't this usually be closer to a 2.0 for Portugal and maybe 3.5 for Croatia?

I saw a couple of guys saying that Portugal is a huge favorite and I instantly checked the odds and saw that the bookmakers see it the same way, but I can't exactly figure out why that is the case.

Anyone has a good answer here? I would never think that Croatia is worse than a 4.0 here.