The Nations League makes its return on Thursday, with a bumper coupon of 12 matches to get stuck into.
Eight of those clashes will see teams battling with a side from a different League in promotion/relegation play-offs. The remaining four mark the beginning of the League A play-offs, with many of Europe’s best sides looking to continue in their bid to be named champions.
There are some standout Nations League fixtures to enjoy on Thursday, including a trip to the Netherlands for reigning champions Spain, and we have picked out some best bets for the day’s matches.
- BULGARIA DRAW NO BET
- DESIRE DOUE TO SCORE OR ASSIST
- ITALY TO WIN
- SPAIN TO WIN
Bulgaria vs Republic of Ireland
A miserable Nations League campaign ended as badly as it began for the Republic of Ireland, who were routed 5-0 by England in their final League Phase match to leave them in jeopardy of relegation to League C.
Their worst moment came when Jack Grealish and Declan Rice, players with strong ties to Ireland, handed the Three Lions a 2-0 win in Dublin and the deflated feeling following that result was a theme of their campaign.
To make matters worse, many of their players are struggling for form. Star striker Evan Ferguson has failed to hit the ground running at West Ham, while key defenders Jake O’Brien, Matt Doherty and Dara O’Shea have spent much of their seasons battling relegation.
The appointment of Heimir Hallgrimsson as head coach has not had the desired effect either, with Ireland’s only wins under their Icelandic manager coming against Finland, and a run of four losses to nil in five away games suggests they may struggle to earn a positive result in Plovdiv.
Bulgaria have lost just one of their 10 matches since appointing Ilian Iliev and, yet to lose at home under their inspirational manager, they can take the initiative in this play-off tie with the Boys in Green.
BULGARIA DRAW NO BET
Croatia vs France
Ever since Euro 2024, where France disappointed massively despite making the semi-finals, Didier Deschamps has attempted to rejuvenate his squad by injecting some fresh ideas and guile into the group.
Les Bleus struggled for goals in Germany last summer but they should have no such issues in the near future, with Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Bradley Barcola, Marcus Thuram and Michael Olise all enjoying excellent scoring seasons.
However, while all of those star names appeal as goalscorer options on Thursday, it is the newest addition to the French frontline, Desire Doue, who could shine in Zagreb.
If handed his debut by Deschamps, Doue is in just the right form to mark the occasion with a direct goal involvement. The PSG star has scored three goals and provided five assists in his last eight matches and could see that form translate over to the national side.
He should get a fair few opportunities to mark his debut with a goal, too, facing a Croatia side who are not as solid as they once were.
Vatreni have managed just one clean sheet in their last 10 matches and a 3-3 draw with Poland and 1-0 defeat to Scotland within their last three outings suggests they may be split open with regularity by France and Doue.
DESIRE DOUE TO SCORE OR ASSIST
Italy vs Germany
Italy’s regression since winning Euro 2020 was somewhat of a shock, as they failed to even qualify for the 2022 World Cup, but they seem to finally be putting the pieces together under Luciano Spaletti.
The former Napoli manager had already shown promise with the Azzurri but was missing an out-and-out striker. However, thanks to the form of Mateo Retegui and Moise Kean, he now has two proven goalscorers to choose from, making their odds to beat an inconsistent Germany far too great to ignore.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side have struggled on their travels in particular, with their only away win during the League Phase coming via an unconvincing 2-1 success in Bosnia, and a trip to Italy could result in defeat for Die Mannschaft.
The Germans haven’t won in Italy since 1986, back when they were still known as West Germany, and that seems unlikely to change on Thursday, due to plenty of Azzurri stars, from Retegui to Kean to Nicolo Barella to Sandro Tonali, being in brilliant form.
ITALY TO WIN
Netherlands vs Spain
Given their exceptional performances while winning Euro 2024 and the 2023 edition of this tournament, it is hard to argue against Spain being by far and away the best side in Europe.
Luis de la Fuente has transformed La Roja into a brilliant attacking side, with Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz and Nico Williams just some of those who have shone under their national boss, and they have nothing to fear ahead of a trip to the Netherlands.
Spain have scored 38 goals while winning 14 of their last 15 matches, beating Croatia, England and France in that run, and they can land another victory over the Dutch, who have been one of the most inconsistent sides in Europe for a while now.
The Dutch have won just one of their last five matches and injury blows to Denzel Dumfries and Frenkie de Jong have made a tough task even harder for Ronald Koeman’s side.
The Netherlands can take some positives from a strong home record - they have won six of their last seven matches on their own patch - but their results against the big boys make for less impressive reading.
Croatia, France and Italy have all won in the Netherlands since June 2023 and Spain, the best side in Europe, can take the initiative in this League A play-off before sealing their place in the semi-finals next week.
SPAIN TO WIN
