⚽ UEFA Nations League ⚽ - Discussion Thread

[Employees Only]

Serbia - Greece, i am think that there is some strange situation in country and that Serbia cant afford to lose this one. I mean their president 

[Daniel91]

While Bilic in Croatia, he have very difficult task to replace Dalic, I wish him success.

Repeating Dalic's success will probably be impossible, but what keeps me positive nevertheless is the fact that we played our most eye pleasing and exciting football under Bilic. It was really fun to watch Croatia back in the day with him at the helm, but the team simply wasn't mature and ready enough for the big success that came later.

Anyway, all of us are really curious to see how it will look under him.

I agree with you.
In the Euro 2008 qualifiers, Croatia beat England twice—both home and away—and at the tournament itself, they defeated Germany in the group stage before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Turkey on penalties, having conceded a goal in the final minute of the match.
At Euro 2012, Croatia was drawn in a group with the tournament's two finalists, Italy and Spain; they nearly advanced to the knockout stage but were unlucky to lose to Spain.
Given this, I think it is unfair to blame Bilić for poor results during his first stint as national team manager; you can have the best squad imaginable yet fail to achieve success due to a lack of luck—whether in the match itself or in the draw.
If Bilić had enjoyed the same luck as Dalić—specifically regarding those penalty shootout victories—he would have become a European champion, because in 2008, Croatia was playing perhaps the best football in its history.
I believe Croatia is the favorite against the Czech Republic and can compete on equal terms with England; in my view, only Spain—currently the best national team in the world—ranks ahead of Croatia.

[meser#]

You could ask a 15-year-old to pick our squad, and they’d come up with the same lineup; it’s been the same predictable roster for the last 3–4 years.
Adil Demirbağ only made the cut because of his performance—and even then, it was due to public pressure. As long as Montella is in charge, Samet Akaydın will be included in the national team, even if he were to retire.
It’s as if there’s a bond between them that goes beyond a mere father-son relationship.
He’s a substitute at Trabzonspor, yet he was still included in the squad.
Berke Özer, for instance, could be forgiven. Many people—myself included—know he was left out because he walked out of the national team camp, but no one actually knows why he left or what exactly happened.
I think these four matches are going to go poorly for us. It’s also a blow that Hakan and Kenan aren't in the squad due to injuries.

Berke Özer was dropped from the squad by the decision of the federation and Montella after leaving the training camp. Berke has expressed regret, but he won't be called up as long as Montella is in charge.
For now, there doesn't seem to be a problem since Uğurcan is holding down the goal; however, if these four matches—which you also mentioned—go poorly and Uğurcan fails to perform well, Berke Özer will become a valuable asset in Türkiye. Many people will likely criticize his absence from the squad, pointing out that he boasted the best goalkeeping statistics in the French league last season.
I, too, have little hope for these four matches. It is also doubtful whether Orkun will be in the midfield for the France game. I’m not even sure if we can manage to score a goal. The Nations League is simply not a competition at a level that suits us.

No one could claim that Berke is a bad goalkeeper. He might even have been right about the incident in question, but I think it was incredibly disrespectful of him to consider himself superior to his teammates.
Whoever the manager puts in goal has to deliver their best performance.
He likely regrets it now, but he has to wait a bit longer. Had he not acted that way, Berke would have been guarding the net in at least two of these four matches—even in a worst-case scenario.
yeah i agree. when Berke Özer found out he wasn't in the starting eleven he left the national team camp.
ok like every goalkeeper, he has had his share of unlucky moments. but no one can say he is a bad goalkeeper. especially looking at his last two seasons...

[KTChampions]

It is an immature decision by Cole Palmer. Emotionally it is completely comprehensible, rationally it is utterly stupid.

First of all, England played an amazing World Cup without him. This must be respected. Tuchel made mistakes against Argentina, but other than that England hasn't achieved a result like that for many decades and they have played really amazing matches.
~

England didn't really show anything special, did they? Norway, Mexico, and Congo are not exceptionally dangerous opponents, they represent a solid, mid-tier level. When you have stars like Kane/Bellingham in your lineup, the results achieved (which, by the way, were achieved with great difficulty) do not look remarkable. The match against Argentina was a complete failure specifically at the coaching level.
Palmer might be right (although, for now, it looks like the whole thing is being blown out of proportion), simply betting on the fact that Tuchel won't be with the national team by 2030. And I’m with him on that - I don’t believe Tuchel, who is notorious for being confrontational, will last that long.

[Finebone]

It is an immature decision by Cole Palmer. Emotionally it is completely comprehensible, rationally it is utterly stupid.

First of all, England played an amazing World Cup without him. This must be respected. Tuchel made mistakes against Argentina, but other than that England hasn't achieved a result like that for many decades and they have played really amazing matches.

I don't know if you are talking about a different England side, because if you are talking about the England team I saw in the world cup, they did nothing special in my perspective because from the group stage to the semi final that they finally crash out to one of the favourite, they greatly struggled.
Against Norway, Dr congo and Mexico, they didn't won any of them convincingly, considering those levels of opponents, so only when they met their mate, which was the Argentine, was when they lost and crash out at the semi final stage, so they weren't special.

As for Cole palmer, I don't care of his disgusting childish behavior because the English team will always be the English team even if he is present or not.

[Supreme Donvic]

‎
‎I'm expecting Portugal to win Wales in this match, the match will be an easy match for Portugal.
‎portugal is actually a very good team and they have a very good squad so I expect them to make this match very easy.
‎one problem this Portugal team is having is that they are not working as a team, they have the best midfield in the world but in the world cup this midfielders did not perform very well, they actually disappointed a lot of people, I really don't know why they are not putting the effort they usually put in their team to there country.
‎

[katanic97]

While Bilic in Croatia, he have very difficult task to replace Dalic, I wish him success.

Repeating Dalic's success will probably be impossible, but what keeps me positive nevertheless is the fact that we played our most eye pleasing and exciting football under Bilic. It was really fun to watch Croatia back in the day with him at the helm, but the team simply wasn't mature and ready enough for the big success that came later.

Anyway, all of us are really curious to see how it will look under him.

It is a great thing that even after 2018 and 2022, Croatia still has a very strong team that literally gives 200%. If it wasn't for that shameful refereeing against Portugal this world cup, i believe Croatia would again be in a good position. Baturina, Stanisic, Vuskovic in my opinion are in the best form + you also have Modric who is still playing very well. It will be an honor for Bilic to lead the national team again, i also think that the success Dalic had can be repeated

[IjawMan]

^^

^^
But Klopp will have to find star players to improve his team and bring the team back to its 2014 form. After winning the 2014 World Cup, Germany's performance started to deteriorate and they ensured their exit in the next three World Cups with shameful performances. They will have to make a comeback from this position, so there will definitely be some pressure on Klopp.

Klopp is a masterpiece and he has always known what to do at every moment as manager, he did it greatly with Liverpool and brought them back to spotlight in the EPL, even if this time it is not a league team but a national team he can still shoulder the weight of any pressure that will come with him making the Germany team standout in this Uefa nations league and to the world cup stage.

[YUriy1991]

‎
‎I'm expecting Portugal to win Wales in this match, the match will be an easy match for Portugal.
‎portugal is actually a very good team and they have a very good squad so I expect them to make this match very easy.
‎one problem this Portugal team is having is that they are not working as a team, they have the best midfield in the world but in the world cup this midfielders did not perform very well, they actually disappointed a lot of people, I really don't know why they are not putting the effort they usually put in their team to there country.
‎

Yes, I'm backing Portugal win 3-1 in this match, given that their players are superior to Wales's. Plus, they have the experience gained from evaluating their World Cup performance where they lost to Spain to draw upon. I think Vitinha will play a major role in orchestrating Portugal midfield against Wales, as will Bruno Fernandes. However, I really hope Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus plays Ronaldo in this match. If he plays, it will give him a chance to score against Wales, which I think would be really exciting. If he manages to score, he'll get even closer to his target of 1,000 goals.

[yudi09]

^^
But Klopp will have to find star players to improve his team and bring the team back to its 2014 form. After winning the 2014 World Cup, Germany's performance started to deteriorate and they ensured their exit in the next three World Cups with shameful performances. They will have to make a comeback from this position, so there will definitely be some pressure on Klopp.

Klopp is a masterpiece and he has always known what to do at every moment as manager, he did it greatly with Liverpool and brought them back to spotlight in the EPL, even if this time it is not a league team but a national team he can still shoulder the weight of any pressure that will come with him making the Germany team standout in this Uefa nations league and to the world cup stage.

It won’t be difficult for Klopp, who has already delivered a string of achievements for us at Anfield. With a roster featuring several players holding German passports in the world’s top leagues, Klopp already holds the upper hand in terms of strength for this stage.
Coaching the German national team is a source of pride for him. Having already given his all to a club of Liverpool’s caliber, it’s impossible to imagine Klopp not going all out with the German national team. For the match against the Netherlands, I’m betting on Germany, even though it will be a tough game.

[Lucius]

~snip~
While Bilic in Croatia, he have very difficult task to replace Dalic, I wish him success.

He is simply a poor replacement who came about as a result of various connections and interests within Croatian sports circles. Regardless of the fact that some people think that he was a great coach and that he deserves a new chance - if you look at his coaching career, it is full of failures to the extent that he could no longer even coach camels in some countries where he ended his coaching career.

Some of his fans will always find an excuse for him, and here's a new one for them - Croatia is the oldest team in this competition, and if he wanted to do something, he should have replaced the old players with young ones. The backbone of the team is people over 35, and Modric recently turned 41. The heart may be as big as a house, but these guys can no longer play at the level of twenty-year-olds who play in the same rhythm for the entire ninety minutes.

[Ahli38]

‎
‎I'm expecting Portugal to win Wales in this match, the match will be an easy match for Portugal.
‎portugal is actually a very good team and they have a very good squad so I expect them to make this match very easy.
‎one problem this Portugal team is having is that they are not working as a team, they have the best midfield in the world but in the world cup this midfielders did not perform very well, they actually disappointed a lot of people, I really don't know why they are not putting the effort they usually put in their team to there country.
‎

Yes, I'm backing Portugal win 3-1 in this match, given that their players are superior to Wales's. Plus, they have the experience gained from evaluating their World Cup performance where they lost to Spain to draw upon. I think Vitinha will play a major role in orchestrating Portugal midfield against Wales, as will Bruno Fernandes. However, I really hope Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus plays Ronaldo in this match. If he plays, it will give him a chance to score against Wales, which I think would be really exciting. If he manages to score, he'll get even closer to his target of 1,000 goals.

(Source)
I also feel that the Welsh national team has no chance of defeating the Portuguese national team which boasts a wealth of highly experienced players. And Portugal is ranked much higher than Wales, where it further convinces us that Portugal is certain to win the match set to take place in a few hours. I personally hoping too that Cristiano Ronaldo will score at least one goal in this match so he can get closer to reaching the milestone of 1000 goals in his professional career. And I think betting on Ronaldo as an Anytime Goalscorer is an interesting option to consider while watching this match. Let’s see how this match unfolds and even Cristiano Ronaldo hopefully will be in the starting lineup.

[LGD2Business]

I told you that something looked strange here. As kick-off time approaches, the odds have shifted. A lot of people are betting on Germany. Netherlands looked like the favorite yesterday, but now Germany's winning odds are lower. That's exactly how it should be.
I think this match could resemble their 2024 Nations League game. That match ended 2-2. Netherlands doesn't sit back too much at home, they'll play more aggresive, if Germany plays same, we could see goals from both sides. Over 2.5 goals makes sense to me. The odds aren't too low either. I think it's worth a try.

[Unsoldier]

‎
‎I'm expecting Portugal to win Wales in this match, the match will be an easy match for Portugal.
‎portugal is actually a very good team and they have a very good squad so I expect them to make this match very easy.
‎one problem this Portugal team is having is that they are not working as a team, they have the best midfield in the world but in the world cup this midfielders did not perform very well, they actually disappointed a lot of people, I really don't know why they are not putting the effort they usually put in their team to there country.
‎

I think Portugal will start the Nations League with a win over Wales. Portugal are noticeably stronger in terms of their squad, with quality players in almost every area of the pitch. After their disappointing performance at the 2026 World Cup, the team will surely be extra motivated. However, Portugal did have problems with the players’ coordination during the World Cup, and I hope the new coach, Jorge Jesus, will be able to solve this issue.
Wales are going through a difficult period at the moment and rarely win. Therefore, I expect Portugal to take control of the game from the start and create enough chances to secure the victory.

[Taricoins]

The game that interests me the most today is Netherlands vs Germany. It’s Jurgen Klopp vs Xavi, which I still find odd by the way.

Two high quality teams with many top players so it will be intriguing to see who comes out on top.

Facts, I hope things will change for Netherland with Xavi Hernandez being the manager, before I even thought about the managerial changes, my default choice was Germany to trash Netherland because Netherlands performance last tournament was outrageous.

But still, with Jurgen Klopps proficiency, I still bank on him to win this match but I don't know whether it will take time for team to assimilate his philosophy, plus Xavi's club record wasn't as big as expected.

[Hyphen(-)]

I told you that something looked strange here. As kick-off time approaches, the odds have shifted. A lot of people are betting on Germany. Netherlands looked like the favorite yesterday, but now Germany's winning odds are lower. That's exactly how it should be.
I think this match could resemble their 2024 Nations League game. That match ended 2-2. Netherlands doesn't sit back too much at home, they'll play more aggresive, if Germany plays same, we could see goals from both sides. Over 2.5 goals makes sense to me. The odds aren't too low either. I think it's worth a try.

The German National team performance is not as it used to be in the past, we used to know Germany as one of the best teams in football because they usually have good players that are always at the top, but since they won their last World Cup in 2014, they could hardly go far again in the world cup or other competitions, I don’t usually take them serious like before, because even their management isn’t accumulating more quality players maybe because they have limited players in top big teams.

From the players available for both teams, I don’t expect more goals in this match because Netherlands have good defenders more than Germany, so if Germany can attack, the defenders will be able to defend. The match looked balance, but I might still expect 2.5 goals because predicting on any one of these teams to win is very risky because anyone can win.

[Franctoshi]

‎
‎I'm expecting Portugal to win Wales in this match, the match will be an easy match for Portugal.
‎portugal is actually a very good team and they have a very good squad so I expect them to make this match very easy.
‎one problem this Portugal team is having is that they are not working as a team, they have the best midfield in the world but in the world cup this midfielders did not perform very well, they actually disappointed a lot of people, I really don't know why they are not putting the effort they usually put in their team to there country.
‎

Yes, I'm backing Portugal win 3-1 in this match, given that their players are superior to Wales's. Plus, they have the experience gained from evaluating their World Cup performance where they lost to Spain to draw upon. I think Vitinha will play a major role in orchestrating Portugal midfield against Wales, as will Bruno Fernandes. However, I really hope Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus plays Ronaldo in this match. If he plays, it will give him a chance to score against Wales, which I think would be really exciting. If he manages to score, he'll get even closer to his target of 1,000 goals.

That's definitely going to be the majority's choice of team to bank on in this encounter, No doubts, Portugal has a lot of super stars in their team than Wales do.
I love your strong stand on Portugals possible 3-1 victory against Wales. Hopefully, your prediction comes to play exactly, only time would tell.

[SUPERSAIAN]

The Nations League kicks off today. The Turkey vs. France match is tomorrow. It will be very difficult for Türkiye to advance from this group if they did, it would likely be a miracle. France will undoubtedly finish first in the group. In terms of squad value, France’s team is probably worth two or three times that of the Turkish national team. So, to be realistic, I’d settle for a draw. To be honest, even a draw would come as a surprise to me.

[Davidloki]

I told you that something looked strange here. As kick-off time approaches, the odds have shifted. A lot of people are betting on Germany. Netherlands looked like the favorite yesterday, but now Germany's winning odds are lower. That's exactly how it should be.
I think this match could resemble their 2024 Nations League game. That match ended 2-2. Netherlands doesn't sit back too much at home, they'll play more aggresive, if Germany plays same, we could see goals from both sides. Over 2.5 goals makes sense to me. The odds aren't too low either. I think it's worth a try.

Goals from both are expected in this game, because both teams have an aggressive attack and would want to win their first game too. I would not predict a straight win for either side because it's not certain which team would win the match, GG or Over 2.5 goals would be the best option to play.

Netherland have a more coordinated defense compared to Germany, so it's also be safe to say that Netherlands could be the favorites to win this game if the attack is solid.

[Altryist]

I think Portugal will start the Nations League with a win over Wales. Portugal are noticeably stronger in terms of their squad, with quality players in almost every area of the pitch. After their disappointing performance at the 2026 World Cup, the team will surely be extra motivated. However, Portugal did have problems with the players’ coordination during the World Cup, and I hope the new coach, Jorge Jesus, will be able to solve this issue.
Wales are going through a difficult period at the moment and rarely win. Therefore, I expect Portugal to take control of the game from the start and create enough chances to secure the victory.

Yes Portugal is the favorite against Wales, but I disagree with the bookmakers' odds. I consider Wales a solid, mid level team, so I don't expect a many goals in this match. I also disagree with Jesus's decision, I don't think Portugal needs Ronaldo, it was evident at the World Cup that he brings no benefit to the team. I’m also keen to see how Germany plays its first official match under Klopp, and I hope they can beat the Netherlands, I also think both teams will score in this match.