UEFA Nations League Matchday 1 Preview: Must-Watch Games and Expert Picks

The domestic leagues across Europe may just have started, but they are already preparing for their first break of the season.

This is always the case at this time of year, with attention turning to international football.

My Analysis

Specifically, we will have the start of a new round of UEFA Nations League action to look forward to. Back in the day, one of the biggest knocks on international football were the friendlies.

Players would often call out and fans fail to show up for games that were totally meaningless.

UEFA made the savvy move of creating the Nations League, so that those games became important, with promotion and relegation added to the mix, as well as playoff spots for upcoming major tournaments.

The new season begins this week, and while there are a ton of games, we are going to focus on League A, where the big guns reside, so let’s take a look at the upcoming Matchday 1 games.

Portugal -182 vs Croatia +460

Thursday, Sept 5 | Both of these teams are coming off of a disappointing showing at the European Championship, so this will be a chance to get some of the shine back.

For now, Cristiano Ronaldo remains part of the Portugal setup, but for how much longer remains to be seen.

One thing that we tend to get when these teams square off is goals, with their last 3 meetings delivering a total of 13 goals, so I would certainly be looking at the OVER in this game.

Scotland +132 vs Poland +195

Thursday Sept 5 | A few years ago, Scotland found themselves languishing in League C, but they have made some serious progress, including a couple of European Championship appearances, although those both proved disappointing.

They will open up at home, which is always a major advantage for the Scots, but Poland is going to be a tough opponent.

Don’t expect a ton of goals here, with 1 perhaps enough to win it.

Denmark +120 vs Switzerland +218

Thursday, Sept 5 | These two teams are playing in Group 4, which is home to European Champions, Spain. With that matchup still to come, both teams will be hoping to get out to a fast start.

These teams met earlier this year in a warm-up game for the European Championship, with that one ending in a 0-0 draw.

Goals tend to be tough to come by for both of these teams, so expect more of the same here, with the Danes possibly edging it at home.

Serbia +450 vs Spain -172

Thursday, Sept 5 | One of the great things about this tournament is that you get to see some unique matchups. These teams have net just once in the past, with that game coming back in 2012.

It was Spain who won that one 2-0, and it would not be surprising to see a similar result on Thursday.

It was a massive summer for Spain, as they ended it as the champions of Europe, and while this is certainly a tricky trip, I think they will come away with a comfortable one against Serbia.

Belgium -330 vs Israel +720

Friday, Sept 6 | Israel is another team that have won their way into League A, but they are in a group that looks to be an absolute nightmare.

They will open on the road against Belgium, a team that is seeing their golden generation come to an end with nothing to show for it.

On their game, though, this Belgium team is an absolute joy to watch, and I think they will feel as though they have something to prove after a disappointing showing at the European Championship.

With that in mind, this should be a comfortable win for the home team.

France -154 vs Italy +380

Friday, Sept 6 | The French were one of the more disappointing teams at the European Championship this summer, going out to the eventual champions, Spain, in the knockout round.

It was much the same story for Italy, who did not look particularly impressive through the entire tournament before eventually falling to Switzerland.

Both teams will be looking to bounce back, and for me, it is France who look the better equipped to do so.

They have dominated Italy in recent meetings, and I think they continue that trend here.

Germany -380 vs Hungary +850

Saturday, Sept 7 | Sometimes, there will be years between meetings by a pair of international teams, but in this case, it is a matter of months.

Germany and Hungary were drawn in the same Group in the European Championship, with the Germans winning that on 2-0 on home soil.

Hungary lost their first 2 games of the tournament before getting a 1-0 win against Scotland, which was not enough to get them into the next round.

This is a tough start to the campaign for Hungary, as the Germans are always tough to beat at home.

Netherlands -450 vs Bosnia +990

Saturday, Sept 7 | We close out Matchday 1 with a very interesting matchup between the Netherlands and Bosnia.

This could well prove to be the end of the road for Bosnia in the top league, as they look to be in over their heads against the other teams here.

They have lost each of their last 5 games, including a humiliating 4-1 loss to Luxembourg.

The Dutch made it into the knockout phase of the European Championship before falling to eventual finalists, England.

This is one that they should win without breaking too much of a sweat.

OFFICIEL: Manuel Neuer annonce sa retraite internationale🧤 🇩🇪🧤 🇩🇪#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/bvZebmw9XN

— UEFA EURO 2024 🇫🇷 (@EURO2024FRA) August 21, 2024

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