Who Will Win the UEFA Nations League?
by Steve Ashfield | by Yunchu Li
Who Will be First Time Nations League Winners?
The third UEFA Nations League finals take place from June 14-18. Four top European nations bid to follow in the footsteps of Portugal and France and win the Nations League title. The Netherlands are the hosts and take on Croatia in the first semi-final on June 14. The following day sees a real battle of European giants as Spain take on current European champions Italy. Just who will be crowned champions in the final on Sunday June 18?
Odds to Win the UEFA Nations League
- Netherlands: 3.00
- Spain: 3.50
- Italy: 4.00
- Croatia: 4.50
Odds from bet365.com
A Title Triumph for the Hosts?
it's 35 years since the Netherlands were crowned the champions of Europe. Three times they have been beaten in a World Cup final and also lost in the first ever Nations League final. 2023 sees them hosting the Nations League finals after an impressive group stage.
They had to get past Belgium to reach the Nations League finals. They beat them 1-0 at home but had an even better result in Belgium winning the game 4-1. The Netherlands ended the group six points clear of the second placed Belgium with Poland and Wales also behind them.
The Netherlands are again showing that they can be a force in European football. There was a slump in the 2010s with the Dutch side missing out on the 2016 European Championship and 2018 World Cup finals. They are back on the main stage now though and the Oranje reached the last eight of the 2022 World Cup. They will be out to repeat Portugal's feat of hosting and winning the Nations League finals. Their Euro 2024 qualifying group got off to a poor start when losing 4-0 in France. Since then they have beaten Gibraltar 3-0.
Can the Nearly Men Become Champions at Last?
Croatia are in the Nations League finals for the first time. They haven't had a great record in the previous two tournaments finishing third in their group on both occasions. If they could repeat the form they have shown in the last two World Cup's then they will be a major threat in the Nations League.
They reached the final in 2018 and finished in third place in last December's tournament. Croatia will hope that this month sees them win their first major title. They have a squad that is packed with eperience with three players having over 100 international caps. At the age of 37 Luca Modric will be earning his 165th cap if playing against the Netherlands on Wednesday June 14th.
Their Euro 2024 qualifying group has been started well with four points from two games. They will prove stiff opposition for the Netherlands but we feel the Dutch side can edge a tight match to reach the final.
Odds to win in 90 minutes
- Netherlands: 1.95
- Croatia: 3.6
- Draw: 3.4
Odds from bet365.com
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Italy Look to Add Nations League Title to Euro Crown
Italy have reached their first major finals since becoming European champions two years ago. They missed out on the 2022 World Cup finals but won a very difficult group to qualify for their second Nations League finals.
Italy take on Spain on Thursday June 15 in a repeat of the 2021 Nations League and European Championship semi-finals. Spain won 2-1 in the Nations League but lost to the Italians in the Euro last four.
At one stage in the group stages it looked as if Italy might again miss out on qualification. Drawn against England, Germany and Hungary, they earned just one point from their first four games. They lost 5-2 in Germany but then won their final two fixtures to qualify. Their final game was at leaders Hungary and they beat them 2-0 to make the finals.
Their Euro 2024 qualifying group hasn't started too well with a home loss to England and a win over Malta. Two of their last three internationals have been lost. They'll be out to match the performance of three of their club sides and reach a European final. Remember you can follow all the action on our Livescore page.
Spanish Success?
Spain lost to France in the 2021 Nations League Final and aim to go one step further in 2023. They have a lot to prove after a poor display in the 2022 World Cup where they lost in the last 16 for the second successive tournament.
tt was a tough group for them to negotiate in this latest Nations League tournament. They were drawn against Portugal, Switzerland and the Czech Republic and didn't get a win until their third match. It all went down to a decider in Portugal with a late goal by Morata taking Spain into their second successive finals.
They have also made a mixed start to their Euro 2024 qualifying group. A 3-0 home win over Norway was a good start but they then lost 2-0 away to Scotland.to make it just one win in their last five internationals. It's going to be a tough game against Italy and we believe it will be Italy who get to the final. That's expected to be against the hosts and our view is that the Netherlands will win the UEFA Nations League. Our betting tips on the Nations League can be seen on this page.
Odds for Spain v Italy - 90 minutes
- Spain: 2.33
- Italy: 3.38
- Draw: 3.18
Odds from Vbet
