⚽ UEFA Nations League ⚽ - Discussion Thread

[Unknown01]

I think Turkey scoring against France, because Turkey have looked quite good in attack in their recent matches. Although if we look at the World Cup, there were a few games where they were honestly quite unlucky. France are obviously the favorites for this game, and I have no doubt that France will score, I also think France should beat Turkey. Turkey actually managed to beat France at home during the Euro qualifiers, I think that was more of an exception than the rule.

I believe Türkiye is capable of scoring at least one goal against France. This isn't really about whether Türkiye is playing well or poorly, but rather the fact that they are playing at home. In terms of quality, France remains the same, even with Zidane as their new coach.
I am still inclined to side with the bookmakers who favor France, despite the fact that Türkiye defeated them during the Euro qualifiers in 2019. The French squad from those qualifiers differs from the lineup they fielded at the World Cup.

France really should have scored 2 or 3 goals in the first half. I expect the French to score an early goal in the second half and they’ll probably score a second goal in the final minutes.

I don’t see Turkey scoring a goal, they’ve had a couple of chances but they don’t have a player who can finish.

[Btcdeybodi]

Today marks Mancini's first official match as Italy's head coach following a long hiatus. Making a comeback is never easy, though Belgium has historically been a favorable opponent for Italy. Belgium is arguably the stronger side right now, so beating them won't be a simple task for the Italians. Betting on a match like this is tricky given the uncertainty surrounding the Italian team, but since their defense is weak, I expect both teams to score.

The Italians are already losing to Belgium by 0:1 at halftime. Seems like Italy long term spell has not been lifted and I keep wondering if the players are the problem or the coach. As much as i can remember, Italy has hired about 4 coaches in the last 10 years but none of them has really been able to deliver the team from their misfortune. Is it that the national team doesn't have quality players in the squad anymore or the coaches have not identified the best strategy and formation to use for the team. I could remember the performance of Italy at the 2006 World Cup, i think after that performance that was when Italy started underperforming till date.

[katanic97]

The results of the first day of matchday 1 are in:


https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/fixtures-results/#/d/2026-09-25

/

Serbia played great against Greece and allowed themselves to concede a goal in the 95th minute of the match, literally the last attack... I expected more from the match, Dusan Tadic returned after he was on a break from the euro 2024 , and you could see the difference on the pitch, they moved well but absolutely the defensive line was not on the level. Greece ready, and I think that since 2004 they haven't had such a good team.

[paco92x]

France really should have scored 2 or 3 goals in the first half. I expect the French to score an early goal in the second half and they’ll probably score a second goal in the final minutes.

I don’t see Turkey scoring a goal, they’ve had a couple of chances but they don’t have a player who can finish.

For now, the game looks equal to me. France have the possession but aren’t doing much with it, from what I’ve seen. Superb defensive play from Turkey, and they are waiting for their chance on the counter-attack. I don’t know if they will succeed, because even when they try to launch a counter-attack, they look really slow to me. They need to play more direct balls up front, with no breaking in the middle. But in the end, it will be the same: France will win 0:1, maybe Olise this time.

[danadc]

France really should have scored 2 or 3 goals in the first half. I expect the French to score an early goal in the second half and they’ll probably score a second goal in the final minutes.

I don’t see Turkey scoring a goal, they’ve had a couple of chances but they don’t have a player who can finish.

Turkey, led by Arda Guler, is taking the initiative, which seems very promising. The score is 0-0. I haven't seen Mbappé react as much as he does at Real Madrid, and it's interesting when Arda and Mbappé face off. Incidentally, Turkey almost scored from a free kick.

They have a very good attack, and it's interesting to see these talented players in a single match where only quality can prevail.

[tiCeR]

there still hasn't been a goal in the turkey - france match. although france is controlling the game, they didn't score any goals. as for turkey, we could say they're trying to hold on. if the first half ends this way, i think there could be good odds on france winning at halftime. i would have expected them to score by now, but they just haven't been able to find the back of net.

France controlled the game in the first half, but judging by the number of shots, it doesn't look like they were trying to force the game. They had just one shot on target in the entire first half. I hope this is Zidane's tactic and that they will play more actively in the second half, because with those stats, it won't be easy to score against Turkey. As for Mancini, I don't expect any miracle from him either, Belgium are beating Italy quite convincingly, and now Italy need to come back in the second half if they want to avoid losing at home.

That doesn't come as a surprise, but France has never been the same team in the Nations League. Except for the match against Spain, France was usually on fire and so far against Turkey, considering they are playing with quite the best possible lineup, it is a poor performance. Nevertheless, every time I see them play in this needless competition, it's not as much as fun as when they play when there is serious skin in the game.

[BIT-BENDER]

France really should have scored 2 or 3 goals in the first half. I expect the French to score an early goal in the second half and they’ll probably score a second goal in the final minutes.

I don’t see Turkey scoring a goal, they’ve had a couple of chances but they don’t have a player who can finish.

For now, the game looks equal to me. France have the possession but aren’t doing much with it, from what I’ve seen. Superb defensive play from Turkey, and they are waiting for their chance on the counter-attack. I don’t know if they will succeed, because even when they try to launch a counter-attack, they look really slow to me. They need to play more direct balls up front, with no breaking in the middle. But in the end, it will be the same: France will win 0:1, maybe Olise this time.

I think turkey has improved from what they were at this year's world cup, there is something different about this Turkish team that we did not see in the world cup.
France has been good too but they haven't created a clinical chance at goal, Chieki, Dembele, olise and Mbappe has been sharp so more of the same from both teams but I believe at the end of the game France should be the winner.

[GbitG]

Ronaldo is not damaging his reputation,  you're thr one that's expecting him to play like his under 30, you have 5o reduce your expectation on him, he has won thr major trophies with Portugal and he's in the team to contribute his quota as the legend of the team. Ronaldo is helping Portugal to sell tickets too, don't forget his thr most popular footballer in  the world and  many people are used to watch him.

Ronaldo can miss like every players,  he's still the best player in this Portugal squad,  the team is poor inspired of their qualities,  Ronaldo should  not be blamed,  the young players are not doing well as well, I know you don't like Ronaldo but you to wait a little he will retire.

Fans will keep coming to support their national team, regardless of whether Ronaldo plays or not. They supported him even before he played for the national team, and I’m sure they will continue to support him until Ronaldo eventually ends his career. But it’s true that Ronaldo is no longer as young as he used to be, so he doesn’t play as well as before. He gets caught offside more often, scores fewer goals, and because of that, I think he is also less useful to the national team now.

Why not.....?

He just purely damaging his profile. You need to understand that if you are big profile players then probably team will expecting the same as previous. Cristiano Ronaldo is now 40 years old and probably his body language is spoken the fact behind his poor display. Against Wales his performance was not even in average scale like he was the 2nd last man in lineup with a lowest rating behind Nuno Mendes.

To be honest this is not even the blink of contribution. National team need big contribution despite due to his old age he is not delivering any productive display. I think he should need to took a retirement because right now he has no respect in his team even Bruno Fernandes are considering him as average players.

"Leave the Football before Football leave you"

[ArabBTC]

I think turkey has improved from what they were at this year's world cup, there is something different about this Turkish team that we did not see in the world cup.
France has been good too but they haven't created a clinical chance at goal, Chieki, Dembele, olise and Mbappe has been sharp so more of the same from both teams but I believe at the end of the game France should be the winner.

True, for Turkey to be able to hold France to a goalless second half is a clear sign that they have improved, it is actually very impressive considering the fact that France have one of the best attackers in the world, sometimes when a particular good team don’t perform very well is a sign that their opponents is countering all their strategies, let’s see what happens in the final minutes of the match.

[MorganaX]

there still hasn't been a goal in the turkey - france match. although france is controlling the game, they didn't score any goals. as for turkey, we could say they're trying to hold on. if the first half ends this way, i think there could be good odds on france winning at halftime. i would have expected them to score by now, but they just haven't been able to find the back of net.

France controlled the game in the first half, but judging by the number of shots, it doesn't look like they were trying to force the game. They had just one shot on target in the entire first half. I hope this is Zidane's tactic and that they will play more actively in the second half, because with those stats, it won't be easy to score against Turkey. As for Mancini, I don't expect any miracle from him either, Belgium are beating Italy quite convincingly, and now Italy need to come back in the second half if they want to avoid losing at home.

That doesn't come as a surprise, but France has never been the same team in the Nations League. Except for the match against Spain, France was usually on fire and so far against Turkey, considering they are playing with quite the best possible lineup, it is a poor performance. Nevertheless, every time I see them play in this needless competition, it's not as much as fun as when they play when there is serious skin in the game.

Spoke too soon because it seems mbappe just opened up the scoring and has given France the lead and there is still time for them to make the scoreline look juicy so fingers crossed. France as a nation, I think is the most complete side for now but just that every game they play can't be the same thing energy just as this game tonight, it's not their best performance but when you find your way to get the results, it's all that matters.

[Jewan420]

That doesn't come as a surprise, but France has never been the same team in the Nations League. Except for the match against Spain, France was usually on fire and so far against Turkey, considering they are playing with quite the best possible lineup, it is a poor performance. Nevertheless, every time I see them play in this needless competition, it's not as much as fun as when they play when there is serious skin in the game.

I had higher expectations from France against Turkey, but they failed to live up to my expectations in the first half, completely failed. Although they scored a goal in the second half, we do not see France dominating the match, but Turkey is trying to dominate. Even though France is ahead, considering the performance, I think Turkey should win the match or the match should end in a draw.
The Italy vs. Belgium match is still going according to expectations, it is clear how far behind Italian football is now. Not being able to qualify for the World Cup three times in a row and losing their ability to compete on their home ground against Belgium is a big failure for them. They are playing their first match since the last World Cup, maybe they will start with a defeat.

[Hvdv]

France really should have scored 2 or 3 goals in the first half. I expect the French to score an early goal in the second half and they’ll probably score a second goal in the final minutes.

I don’t see Turkey scoring a goal, they’ve had a couple of chances but they don’t have a player who can finish.

For now, the game looks equal to me. France have the possession but aren’t doing much with it, from what I’ve seen. Superb defensive play from Turkey, and they are waiting for their chance on the counter-attack. I don’t know if they will succeed, because even when they try to launch a counter-attack, they look really slow to me. They need to play more direct balls up front, with no breaking in the middle. But in the end, it will be the same: France will win 0:1, maybe Olise this time.

I think turkey has improved from what they were at this year's world cup, there is something different about this Turkish team that we did not see in the world cup.
France has been good too but they haven't created a clinical chance at goal, Chieki, Dembele, olise and Mbappe has been sharp so more of the same from both teams but I believe at the end of the game France should be the winner.

France has just taken the lead thanks to a goal from Mbappé. However, he picked up an injury during the play, and Doué has now come on. I hope Mbappé’s injury isn’t serious, as he is Real Madrid’s most important player, and the club faces a very tough schedule following the Nations League matches. I am sure Real Madrid officials will be in touch with the French medical team right away.

As Turkey, we missed a few scoring opportunities, but France capitalized on a great chance and scored. I hope we can find a chance to equalize in the remaining minutes.

[Dreadboost]

Today marks Mancini's first official match as Italy's head coach following a long hiatus. Making a comeback is never easy, though Belgium has historically been a favorable opponent for Italy. Belgium is arguably the stronger side right now, so beating them won't be a simple task for the Italians. Betting on a match like this is tricky given the uncertainty surrounding the Italian team, but since their defense is weak, I expect both teams to score.

Italy are no longer a reliable team, it is not unusual to be disappointed when betting on them. Even when betting on the opposition, they can disappoint you. A new chapter is about to begin for Roberto Mancini in Italy tonight. The only hope for Italy's fans is that they get a chance to play in the upcoming World Cup. Qualifying for the World Cup would be a great achievement for him.

It would be wrong to expect too much from him tonight against Belgium. Belgium are a strong opponent, it is a bit difficult for Italy to win against Belgium. I only expect good football from Italy.

Foolish me! I've missed out on a big opportunity to cash out from this match. Belgium was always going to beat Italy, but the bookmakers gave the favor to Italy. Belgium's odds to beat Italy were around 3.5. I did book the game, but unfortunately I did not place the bet immediately was waiting for the game to be close. An afternoon nap caused me this one. However, the match is not over yet. Italy may equalize, but my bet is on Belgium to win if only I had placed the bet before it was too late.

[Phoenix Anka]

Today marks Mancini's first official match as Italy's head coach following a long hiatus. Making a comeback is never easy, though Belgium has historically been a favorable opponent for Italy. Belgium is arguably the stronger side right now, so beating them won't be a simple task for the Italians. Betting on a match like this is tricky given the uncertainty surrounding the Italian team, but since their defense is weak, I expect both teams to score.

Italy are no longer a reliable team, it is not unusual to be disappointed when betting on them. Even when betting on the opposition, they can disappoint you. A new chapter is about to begin for Roberto Mancini in Italy tonight. The only hope for Italy's fans is that they get a chance to play in the upcoming World Cup. Qualifying for the World Cup would be a great achievement for him.

It would be wrong to expect too much from him tonight against Belgium. Belgium are a strong opponent, it is a bit difficult for Italy to win against Belgium. I only expect good football from Italy.

Foolish me! I've missed out on a big opportunity to cash out from this match. Belgium was always going to beat Italy, but the bookmakers gave the favor to Italy. Belgium's odds to beat Italy were around 3.5. I did book the game, but unfortunately I did not place the bet immediately was waiting for the game to be close. An afternoon nap caused me this one. However, the match is not over yet. Italy may equalize, but my bet is on Belgium to win if only I had placed the bet before it was too late.

Actually, Italy isn't playing badly, Belgium is the team that is better defensively. Lammens is having a great game and has saved many of Italy's chances. The match isn't over yet, but Belgium holds a big advantage.

Meanwhile, the group's other match is taking place between our country Turkey and France, and I would say France has the upper hand. I am currently watching the match live on TV, and France might just score another goal.

[Berry2d]

France really should have scored 2 or 3 goals in the first half. I expect the French to score an early goal in the second half and they’ll probably score a second goal in the final minutes.

I don’t see Turkey scoring a goal, they’ve had a couple of chances but they don’t have a player who can finish.

Turkey, led by Arda Guler, is taking the initiative, which seems very promising. The score is 0-0. I haven't seen Mbappé react as much as he does at Real Madrid, and it's interesting when Arda and Mbappé face off. Incidentally, Turkey almost scored from a free kick.

They have a very good attack, and it's interesting to see these talented players in a single match where only quality can prevail.

That promising initiative can never work when France has the world most dangerous front line, except the God of soccer wants to surprise them with a win in today's game if not today's game will be one of the most dangerous or difficult game for them.
Its already 1 goal down against the Turkish side with an amazing possession for France which i know will result to more goals before the end of the game that is if France keeps pushing as they are doing now. I will say France is doing a very nice job is dominance but finding it difficult in converting those created chances which I know may come up very soon. But we should be ready to see France go home with the complete three points.

[SmartCharpa]

Ronaldo is a living legend in Portugal and if he wants to continue to play for Portugal he will play. I still think that at this age he cannot give much on the field for Portugal only off it. They need to find a serious replacement for him soon because i think the next Euros will probobly be the last tournament he will play for Portugal. He has a lot of haters but i think he cannot score like he did in the previous years

I don't know why Ronaldo is still playing today, that dude is old and he needs to retire as soon as possible, the Portuguese people should stop depending him and start look for his replacement, there are Portuguese players who are playing excellent football and they skilled. Even if they are no as skilled as Ronaldo, Keeping Ronaldo in the national team instead of allowing him to retire will only delay the transition to the next generation and make Portugal more dependent on him that necessary.

Ronaldo is not the reason why Portugal performance has not improved. We all agree that this dude is old, but that doesn’t stop the other young players on the pitch from scoring goals. Portugal have top players but what stops them from bringing the same quality to the national team? We see how these players play in their main team, but when it comes to the national team they hardly contribute to winning their games. Wales is a just an average opponent compared to Portugal but looked at how they played.

The Portugal team is not ready to win any trophy at all. Ronaldo was subbed off in the 68 minutes, if Cristiano was their problem, why didn’t they score more goals with the remaining minutes? The whole squad is their own problem, even though Ronaldo is not in their squad, this team will not achieve anything. One goal throughout the game against Wales. Let’s see what happens in the next game.

[Justbillywitt]

The Italians are already losing to Belgium by 0:1 at halftime. Seems like Italy long term spell has not been lifted and I keep wondering if the players are the problem or the coach. As much as i can remember, Italy has hired about 4 coaches in the last 10 years but none of them has really been able to deliver the team from their misfortune. Is it that the national team doesn't have quality players in the squad anymore or the coaches have not identified the best strategy and formation to use for the team. I could remember the performance of Italy at the 2006 World Cup, i think after that performance that was when Italy started underperforming till date.

2006 to 2026 is a long time now. This is exactly what happens when people don’t look beyond their present and plan for the future. They failed to groom their young players to make sure they always have a competitive team. Recently we saw the changes in the management of Italian football federation, lots of changes were made at the management level, that is a good sign of rebuilding. However it will take them some time to actually get what they want. So anyone expecting immediate success on the team performance is demanding too much from them.

[Lillominato89]

Today marks Mancini's first official match as Italy's head coach following a long hiatus. Making a comeback is never easy, though Belgium has historically been a favorable opponent for Italy. Belgium is arguably the stronger side right now, so beating them won't be a simple task for the Italians. Betting on a match like this is tricky given the uncertainty surrounding the Italian team, but since their defense is weak, I expect both teams to score.

The Italians are already losing to Belgium by 0:1 at halftime. Seems like Italy long term spell has not been lifted and I keep wondering if the players are the problem or the coach. As much as i can remember, Italy has hired about 4 coaches in the last 10 years but none of them has really been able to deliver the team from their misfortune. Is it that the national team doesn't have quality players in the squad anymore or the coaches have not identified the best strategy and formation to use for the team. I could remember the performance of Italy at the 2006 World Cup, i think after that performance that was when Italy started underperforming till date.

For us Italians, every time the national team plays, it’s become a nightmare.
Perhaps we were too used to having champions in the squad, but now we’re really a laughing stock to the whole world.
It’s not a problem with the manager, nor is it down to the current players. The main problem is that the FIGC isn’t investing in young Italians, and even the clubs prefer to invest in foreign players. So we’re sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss

[Roseline492]

I think turkey has improved from what they were at this year's world cup, there is something different about this Turkish team that we did not see in the world cup.
France has been good too but they haven't created a clinical chance at goal, Chieki, Dembele, olise and Mbappe has been sharp so more of the same from both teams but I believe at the end of the game France should be the winner.

You are right but they are against an indisputable country so they have know chance for victory but I must admit their defense is nice and they have intercepted a lot of goals France would have gotten by now. Meanwhile i think Mbappe has gotten injury in this match, he was substituted because of it and from my observation, it seems very serious and if is confirmed so then Real Madrid is going to be in big trouble on the both league because the club is not much strong without him. I'm glad Mbappe had score one goal before leaving if not I wonder how it would have been since there has not been another goal yet.

[Sally9256]

That doesn't come as a surprise, but France has never been the same team in the Nations League. Except for the match against Spain, France was usually on fire and so far against Turkey, considering they are playing with quite the best possible lineup, it is a poor performance. Nevertheless, every time I see them play in this needless competition, it's not as much as fun as when they play when there is serious skin in the game.

I had higher expectations from France against Turkey, but they failed to live up to my expectations in the first half, completely failed. Although they scored a goal in the second half, we do not see France dominating the match, but Turkey is trying to dominate. Even though France is ahead, considering the performance, I think Turkey should win the match or the match should end in a draw.
The Italy vs. Belgium match is still going according to expectations, it is clear how far behind Italian football is now. Not being able to qualify for the World Cup three times in a row and losing their ability to compete on their home ground against Belgium is a big failure for them. They are playing their first match since the last World Cup, maybe they will start with a defeat.

It's Zidane's first game and I believe the most important thing is to win his first game in charge. That first half was a disappointing one from them, though We shouldn’t forget that turkey is a good side and can cause any team problems, but also France should be beating them In this game with a decent margin.

I still have a feeling we will see at least a goal or 2 in this game, I just hope it France that score because I have them on my slip to win this game. Zidane have proven to be a good good during his time at Real Madrid, so let hope there is still plenty of room for improvement in this next game.