The last set of fixtures in this year's UEFA Nations League is upon us. For many nations, this will be their final opportunity to stake a claim to be promoted while others aim at avoiding relegation. For the players, especially those representing teams participating at the World Cup, the upcoming game will present the ultimate opportunity to possibly justify their inclusion as we count down to Qatar 2022.
England's demotion to League B is already confirmed a few more top sides such as France, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic will be hoping to keep their place in League A with respective wins. On the contrary, Scotland, Ukraine, Bosnia & Herzegovina, as well as Norway and Serbia, are all in great positions to secure promotion to the elite league.
Ahead of the upcoming matchday, let's take a look at the standings in the respective groups:
And here are the top games to watch in the UEFA Nations League on September 24 to 27, 2022
Czech Republic vs Portugal
Portugal travel to the Sinobo Stadium to take on the Czech Republic on Saturday night as they make an effort to maintain their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Nations League finals. The former holders of the trophy currently in second place, one point behind Spain, while their opponents are in third place, trying to keep their spot in the elite division. The former were in a promising position to feature in the final but ceded their place at the top of the League A Group 2 to Spain after suffering a 1-0 to Switzerland in their most recent encounter. A favorable result against the Czechs should set them up for a crunchy final group game with their Iberian neighbours before jetting off for the World Cup. On the other hand, the hosts will aim to avoid defeat in order to hold onto the third position.
Spain vs Switzerland
Spain and Switzerland will lock horns in Seville as they search for favorable results to aid their respective ambitions. La Roja could potentially book their place in the finals of the competition while their visitors risk being relegated to League B should Czech Republic get the better of Portugal in the other group encounter. The group leaders are yet to record a single defeat in this year's edition of the Nations League, and will approach the weekend's game on the back of an impressive eight-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. Relatively, Switzerland will be motivated as they go into the clash on the back of a win over Portugal. Prior to securing their only set of points at the group stage of the competition, the Red Crosses had gone on a five-game winless streak in all competitions.
Austria vs Croatia
Austria will meet Croatia in the UEFA Nations League at the Ernst-Happel Stadion as they aim to keep their spot in League A. The hosts risk getting demoted to League B after amassing just four points from the five games played so far. The enter the upcoming contest after a masterful perfomance by France led by Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud condemned them to a disappointing 2-0 defeat. On the contrary, Croatia stood their ground as managed a 2-1 win over Denmark in an entertaining clash. Austria are no new customers to the visitors as in six head-to-head encounters between the two sides, the latter hold a clear advantage - winning five games and losing just one.
Denmark vs France
A France team seeking to avoid relegation to League B will host a Denmark team aiming for the finals in the last game of League A Group 1 of the UEFA Nations League. Earlier this week, Kasper Hjulmand's team lost to Croatia 2-1, while Les Bleus defeated Austria 2-0 in preparation for their Sunday matchup in Copenhagen. The current Nations League holders will be looking for their first back-to-back win since March 2022, having failed to pick up a win in all but one of their last five matches in all competitions. The hosts, on the other hand, will be eager to bounce back from the mid-week's loss by recoring their fourth win of the campaign.
Netherlands vs Belgium
Netherlands and Belgium will square off at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Sunday night to compete for top honours in Group A4 of the Nation League. The Dutch are in control of their destiny going into their final group game after putting in a superb performance to win 2-0 in Poland on Wednesday night. With their victory in Warsaw, the Oranje now just needs a point from the upcoming clash to secure a spot in the Nations League finals. Needless to say, it will be far from a walk in the park taking into account the caliber of opposition they face. Belgium narrowly defeated Wales 2-1 on Thursday night, putting them three points behind the Netherlands going into this crucial match. The Red Devils will now have to score at least four goals on Sunday night in Amsterdam, but they won't be deterred by the challenge.
Wales vs Poland
Wales will play a crucial home encounter against Poland at the Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday night to conclude their most recent Nations League campaign. The Dragons have had a difficult time adjusting to life in the top flight of this league, having so far lost four and drawn one of their five Group A4 games. The last time out, Rob Page's team suffered a valiant 2-1 defeat at star-studded Belgium on a night in Brussels. Wales are now on the verge of being demoted to League B as a result of that setback and, as a result, they will have no margin for error when they host Poland. Relatively, the latter, being just a spot and three points ahead of their opponents, will be warily peering over their shoulders. Czeslaw Michniewicz's team opened their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Wales at home, but they have since collected just one point out of a possible 12. As a result, they travel to Cardiff needing to improve if they are to avoid being dropped to tier two.
England vs Germany
With their relegation to League B already confirmed, England will have the opportunity to test some of their fringe players when they welcome Germany to Wembley on Monday. The Three Lions have collected only two points from a possible 15 and will bow out of the competition with their worst-ever run in 22 years. On the other hand Germany will also be able to be at ease and flex their muscles with their place in League A now assured. Die Mannschaft have not been overly impressive in their last set out outings, winning just one game from their last six.
Hungary vs Italy
Hungary, the dark horses of Group A3, will welcome Italy to the Puskas Arena as they look to cement their place in the semifinal of this year's Nations League. Marco Rossi's men have punched above their weight and will need to avoid defeat as they currently sit on the brink of history. They will go into Monday's affair having secured at least a point in four of the five games played so far in the competition. For Italy, the objective will be to secure a win as it will be the only way to usurp the Hungarians and progress to the next round. The Azzurri approach the upcoming game on the back of an important 1-0 win over England and will be aiming to secure back-to-back wins for the first time since the Euro 2020.
Portugal vs Spain
Portugal and Spain will lock horns at the Braga Municipal Stadium in a clash which could well decide the winner of League A Group 2. The Iberian rivals have their respective fates in their hands, with the significance of the upcoming encounter reliant on the results of the penultimate fixtures that will be played this weekend. Each of the last four meetings between the pair has ended in a draw and it will be interesting to see what this game holds with the stakes very high this time around.
Switzerland vs Czech Republic
Depending on the outcome of their fifth group game, Switerland and Czech Republic will potentially battle for survival with demotion to League B knocking on their respective doors. Both sides have not had the best of campaigns in this season's Nations League and will be poised to retain their position among the competitiors of the elite league.
