The 2022-2023 UEFA Nations League started in June of 2022. The group stage played from June to September of last year. The Finals will occur next month in June 2023. The qualifying teams from the UEFA Nations League group phase are Croatia, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. To compete in the Nations League Finals, these sides had to top their respective groups in Group A. Group A1, A2, A3 and A4 consists of a total of 16 teams, each having to play a total of six group stage matches. The Group A teams had to play the same opponent twice, once home and once away.
Before assessing each team’s chances of winning, we will recap the action of the qualifiers and see how these four finalists reached the knockout stage of the tournament.
Group A1
Group Teams – Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France
In Group A1, the final standings of the group saw Croatia top of the table with 13 points, Denmark in second with 12 points, defending-champions France in third with 5 points and Austria, relegated to League B with 4 points.
Croatia, also known colloquially as ‘Vatreni’, topped the group by winning four of their six matches, drawing once and losing once. The Croatian national football team has become one of the most successful teams in recent years, finishing second in the 2018 World Cup and third in the more recent 2022 Qatar World Cup. In Group A1, Croatia had recorded three away wins over the other teams of the group. Their only draw came at home in a 1-1 stalemate with 2021 UEFA Nations League winners, France. Surprisingly, the Croatian national team’s only loss was a 3-0 home defeat to Austria, who failed to maintain their rank as a League A team.
Player to Watch – Luka Modrić
Croatian captain Luka Modrić was influential in their successful World Cup campaigns and continued to shine throughout the Nations League qualifiers. He ended the group stage as the top scorer of the team with 2 goals.
Group A2
Group Teams – Czech Republic, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland
In Group A2, Spain finished top of their group on 11 points, marginally ahead of Portugal and Switzerland on 10 points and 9 points, respectively. Czech Republic finished bottom of the group with only 4 points, relegating the national team to League B.
Spain, known locally as ‘La Roja’, managed to win three of their six matches, drawing twice and losing once. The Spanish kit was fortunate to finish ahead of 2019’s Nations League winners Portugal, as the Portuguese team had a far greater goal difference of +8 compared to Spain’s +3. In fact, Spain qualified by defeating Portugal in the last match thanks to an 88th minute winner from Álvaro Morata. The result saw the Spanish side top Group A2 and qualify to the UEFA Nations League Finals.
Following an unsuccessful World Cup, in which Spain were knocked out in the Round of 16, the Spanish team will be eyeing the chance to win some silverware. The UEFA Nations League could be Spain’s first trophy since the 2012 Euros.
Player to Watch – Álvaro Morata
The Spanish football team is a tough one to call as there are no stand-out individuals that can drag the team through thick and thin. It comprises a far more well-knit team that contribute equally to winning games of football. Álvaro Morata has scored twice during the group phase, both of the goals have come against Portugal. He scored the opening goal of the campaign in a 1-1 draw with the Portuguese side before scoring the winner in the final group match, securing Spain’s position on top of the table.
Group A3
Group Teams – England, Germany, Hungary, Italy
In Group A3, 2021 Euros champions Italy secured top spot with 11 points, narrowly finishing in front of Hungary on 10 points, with Germany finishing third on 7 points and the shock result of England finishing bottom on 3 points. The English national team failed to win any of their games, ending in a draw three times. The result means England will be relegated to League B.
For the majority of the group stage, Hungary was the team on top. However, on the final match of the group, Italy defeated Hungary 2-0 in the Puskás Aréna, their home stadium. The result secured Italy as the top team, having won three of their matches, drawn two and only lost once in a 5-2 battering by Germany.
Italy, also known as ‘Azzurri’, defeated Hungary home and away to secure their position as top seed. Whilst it is an impressive feat for the Italian national team to reach the UEFA Nations League Finals for the second consecutive time, the Hungarian national team will feel unfortunate to miss out. The Hungarians defeated England 1-0 at home and more impressively 4-0 on a day out in Wembley Stadium. Italy will aim to better their third-place finish in the 2021 UEFA Nations League competition.
Player to Watch – Lorenzo Pellegrini
Lorenzo Pellegrini is the captain of AS Roma and one of the driving players in the Italian national team. He scored two goals during the qualifiers to help Azzurri finish top of their group. The midfielder could be one of the game-changers in the UEFA Nations League Finals in the Netherlands.
Group A4
Group Teams – Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Wales
In Group A4, the Netherlands displayed their talent by finishing top of the group with 16 points, ahead of Belgium in second with 10 points, as Poland finished third with 7 points and Wales, relegated to League B with only a single point.
The UEFA Nations League Finals will be hosted in the Netherlands and perhaps that is why ‘Oranje’ were fired up to win all but one of their games. The Dutch national team drew at home to Poland in an exciting 2-2 game. However, the rest of their matches were all wins, including a 4-1 win away in Belgium and a last-minute win over Wales in a 3-2 home victory.
The Netherlands is one of the most impressive teams in knockout tournaments. They were unfortunate to lose their quarterfinal battle with Argentina at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. In the 2014 World Cup, the Netherlands were also defeated by Argentina, that time in the semi-finals. They are the only team to have reached the World Cup final on three separate occasions and failing to win it.
Player to Watch – Memphis Depay
The Netherlands’ star player and talisman is Memphis Depay. The forward scored a joint-top three goals during the group phase of the UEFA Nations League and has a total of 44 international goals from 88 appearances. He is only six goals short of Robin Van Persie, the record goal scorer for the Netherlands on 50 goals. Memphis Depay has been in this situation before, as the Netherlands qualified to the first edition of the UEFA Nations League in 2019. However, during that competition, they were defeated by Portugal in the final, with the lone goal scored by Gonçalo Guedes. This time around, the Netherlands will be at home, which could mean they will win the trophy for the first time.
How to Bet on the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals
The UEFA Nations League semi-finals will be played on the 14th and 15th of June before the final is played on the 18th. The final will be played at De Kuip in Rotterdam, home to the famous Feyenoord.
The semi-final matches for the UEFA Nations League are:
- The Netherlands v Croatia
- Spain v Italy
If you are looking to bet on the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals, you can do so here at mr.play. We offer a plethora of various bets on the matches, including many betting markets for individual games. Alternatively, you may also find plenty of outright bets for these teams, for instance predicting the team you believe will win the tournament before a ball has even been kicked. Ultimately, you will find many bets to place both before the competition starts and as it gets underway.
An Overview of the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals
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