This weekend the Nations League returns and there are many great games to watch. The games that stand out are Portugal vs France, Belgium vs England and Spain vs Germany.
Portugal vs France
This is a game featuring the defending Euro champions vs defending World Cup champions. It’s a home game for Portugal. Last time these teams played it was a disappointing 0-0 draw. This matchup features some of the best players in the game with Cristiano Ronaldo , Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Bernando Silva, Joao Felix and Diogo Jota. Ronaldo is expected to play in this game. It features two very successful goalkeepers in Hugo Lloris and Rui Patricio. The hottest player in this game is Diogo Jota who has three goals in four matches for Portugal. He also had a hat trick for Liverpool. So he has had success recently with his country and club. I give Portugal the edge because of this reason and it’s a home game. A big story will be how Paul Pogba plays. He seems to play well with good players around him which he has in France. The last time these two played in a meaningful game was Portugal’s 1-0 win in the 2016 Euro Final and Ronaldo did not even play in that game.
Belgium vs England
This is a revenge game for Belgium after they lost 2-1 to England last month. English defender Joe Gomez is out after a knee injury earlier this week. This will be a huge loss for England. Belgium is one of the best teams in the world. They are loaded with players like Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens and Kevin De Bruyne. De Bruyne is looking to rebound from his latest game after missing a penalty vs Liverpool. Lukaku continues to thrive with Belgium with three goals in three matches. I would not be surprised to see him score in this game.
As for England a big factor will be Jordan Pickford he has struggled recently for his club Everton. Belgium will be seeking payback so he has to be on top of his game. Harry Kane is England’s most important player in this game. England has multiple scoring options in Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden. I’ll give Belgium the win because they have a better goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois, being a revenge game and just an overall better team.
Spain vs Germany
Last time these teams played it was one of the best games in the Nations League this year. Spain needed a stoppage time goal to get a 1-1 draw. This game will be played at the Estadio Olímpico de la Cartuja. Coming into this game Sergio Ramos leads Spain with two goals and Timo Werner with two for Germany. Germany has only beaten Spain once in their last five games and that was a friendly in 2014. They however does have the edge in goalkeeper in Manuel Neuer. Germany needs players to step up in order to win this game like Joshua Kimmich, Werner, Leroy Sane and Kai Havertz. Besides Ramos it will be interesting to see Alvaro Morata, Adama Traore, Ferran Torres and Rodri play. I’ll give Spain the win because of recent history and this being a home game for them. Let’s hope for another thrilling game between two historic teams.
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