UEFA Nations League Picks up Speed with Friday Matches
Published October 12, 2018 by Florin P
The European teams that made deep runs at the World Cup 2018 lock horns in UEFA Nations League matches on Friday at 7:45 UK time.
Football fans are in for a treat, as the most exciting UEFA Nations League matches of this weekend are scheduled for Friday. Half a dozen games take place in the evening, all of them starting at 7:45 PM UK time. Two games, however, stand out from the crowd, because they feature four of the best European teams. Belgium and Switzerland meet in one of these games, while England and Croatia lock horns in the other fixture. All these teams have made deep runs at the World Cup 2018 and their matches enjoy ample coverage at bet365 Sports and 888 Sport.
Belgium Takes on Defensive Minded Switzerland
Belgium lost to France in the World Cup 2018 semifinals after an impressive performance at the tournament. The Europeans have made short work of Brazil and confirmed their status as one of the favorites to lift the trophy. They now share Group 2 at the UEFA Nations League and they are tied for the first place with Switzerland. A victory tonight would bring them the solitary lead and Intertops Sports offers odds of 1/2 on this likely outcome.
Belgium has scored three unanswered goals so far in this tournament, but they play against a team that is yet to concede a goal. Switzerland are famous for their solid backline and they have scored six times while keeping a clean sheet against Iceland. They don’t have any injury concerns ahead of this fixture, so a double chance wager at odds of 3/2 also makes sense. The two teams are evenly matched, with each winning three times and a single match ended undecided. bet365 Sports offers odds of 33/10 on a draw, while an upset victory by Switzerland is priced at 6/1.
England and Croatia Meet in Perfectly Balanced Match
Arguably the most anticipated and balanced match of the day is the one between England and Croatia. England plays on the road against the World Cup 2018 finalists, but 888 Sport offers identical odds on a home and away win. The match appears to be too close to call, so punters who bet on a straight victory will get odds of 17/10. A draw is priced at 23/10, but no team can afford to split points under these circumstances. That’s because they have both lost to Spain and only the winners qualify to the semifinals.
Croatia has suffered a humiliating defeat in the opening match, after allowing six unanswered goals. The fact that they were unable to score at least once against Spain doesn’t bode well ahead of this match against England. That’s because the British have greatly improved their backline in recent months and are known as a streaky team. At least in theory, the visitors are more likely to be happy with a point, since they can aspire for more in the return match.
Elsewhere, Austria has home pitch advantage against Northern Ireland and Winner Sports expect them to make the most of it. Punters can only get odds of 1/2 on a home win, while a surprising victory for the traveling team is priced at 6/1. Greece are narrow favorites at 4/5 against Hungary, while Finland has a narrow edge on the road against Estonia, in the lower divisions of UEFA Nations League.
