International football has taken a long hiatus but makes its comeback over the next week as nations across the world compete for an array of prizes.
In Europe, qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins, but the majority of the continent’s behemoths will be duelling on a different battlefield.
The 2024/25 UEFA Nations League continues on Thursday evening as eight teams lock horns for the first leg of the quarter-finals, with all three past victors – Portugal, France and Spain – among those in action during some mouth-watering ties.
Here are 90min’s predictions for the first legs.
Helpfully for British audiences, all four quarter-final first legs are staged at the exact same time and will not be broadcast in the United Kingdom. Regardless of those disappointing realities, there remain some tantalising clashes among Europe’s giants.
There is a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final when Croatia host France, with the latter hopeful of a similar outcome. The two sides have actually battled four times since their meeting on the planet’s grandest stage seven years ago, with Les Bleus unable to triumph in either of the last two fights. It will be a tight affair but Didier Deschamps’ side remain significant favourites across both legs.
Denmark vs Portugal is perhaps the least exciting of the last eight ties, with the inaugural Nations League champions expected to progress. Denmark are finding their feet under new head coach Brian Riemer and have failed to win any of their past four, while their Iberian opponents were unbeaten during the group stage and boast a far superior squad.
The 1982 World Cup final pitted Italy against Germany and the pair will reunite on Thursday. They have clashed 19 times since that 3-1 victory for the former and their record against one another has been largely symmetrical. Germany did triumph emphatically in the most recent match-up, however, winning 5-2 during the 2022/23 Nations League campaign.
Speaking of World Cup finals, a third repeat will be staged midweek. Netherlands host current European and Nations League champions Spain in the pick of the ties, hoping to exact a little revenge on the side that extinguished their dream of being crowned world champions for the first time back in 2010. They may be found wanting again, however, with La Roja in exceptional form since claiming last summer’s continental crown with 14 wins from their last 15 outings.
|
Kick-off time (GMT) |
Fixture |
Prediction |
|---|---|---|
|
19:45 |
Croatia vs France |
1-2 |
|
19:45 |
Denmark vs Portugal |
1-2 |
|
19:45 |
Italy vs Germany |
1-1 |
|
19:45 |
Netherlands vs Spain |
1-3 |
