Saturdays are traditionally the most exciting days for football fans and a weekend full of UEFA Nations League matches makes no exception. There are games scheduled in three of the four groups, but the most anticipated ones are played in Group A. England, Belgium, Portugal and France play on Saturday evening and are all favorites to prevail, but they will face tough opponents.
England Travels to Iceland for the First UNL Match
Iceland was the revelation of the last European championship and this is a team that never goes down without a fight. Even though they play against the reigning World champions, the Northerners are not going to roll over for the visiting team. They actually defeated England the last time the two teams met at Euro, but this time they are huge underdogs with odds of 12/1. Betting on the favorites will result in odds of 1/4 at bet365 Sports, which is insufficient value given the quality and fighting spirit of the home team.
Denmark Welcomes Neighboring Belgium on Saturday
Denmark and Belgian play a neighborly match, but there is nothing friendly about this encounter. Denmark has home pitch advantage but can’t rely on the support of the fans, because this match will be played without spectators. This will further enhance the visitors’ chances to win, while driving the odds lower to only 4/5 at bet365 Sports. The hosts have a slight advantage in head to head matches, but not enough to make them favorites in this match where they are priced at 33/10.
Portugal Starts with the First Chance against Croatia
Portugal and Croatia are expected to play a fiery match at 7:45 PM UK time. Portugal will have its best players on the pitch and the match is played on home soil, but no spectators will be cheering from the stands. Even so, they are strong enough to justify the odds of 17/2 given by 888 Sport against a team that traditionally plays well on the road. These are the two teams that have played the last two finals of the most important football competitions and the odds of 7/2 on Croatia are tempting.
Sweden Braces for a Tough Test when France comes Visiting
Sweden caused plenty of headaches to France in recent matches and defeated them the last time the two teams met in the World Cup qualifiers. Overall, all their matches were close and frequently decided by a single goal, so this UEFA Nations League should be enjoyable. France is once again favorite to prevail with odds of 3/4, but punters get excellent value on a surprising win for Sweden. If the Scandinavian nation prevails, those who have wagered on their victory will cash in on odds of 4/1.
Disclaimer:
The odds mentioned here were accurate at the featured bookmakers at the hour the article was written, respectively on Tuesday, September 1 at 8 pm UK time.