With just two months until England take on the Netherlands in the semi-final of the Nations League, hopes will be high that Gareth Southgate’s team can capitalise on their great run of form to finally get their hands on some silverware.
Recent successes in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers have given England fans plenty to celebrate, and the match at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques stadium in Portugal on 6 June promises to be an enthralling spectacle.
England put in some incredible performances on their way to the semi-final. Stunning victories such as their 2-3 away win in Spain, as well as a fantastic 2-1 home win over Croatia will have put the disappointments of the 2018 World Cup far behind them. In addition to this, Gareth Southgate has given plenty of opportunities to promising young stars like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho and we could see these talented players in Portugal in June.
However, the Dutch team are expected to put up plenty of opposition. The Netherlands have finally bounced back after their embarrassment of not making it to the World Cup in Russia, and they will be keen to use the Nations League semi-final to announce their full comeback to international football.
The Dutch squad is packed with talent like Memphis Depay and Virgil van Dijk, and with rising stars such as Frenkie de Jong recently making the €75 million move to Barcelona, it’s clear that England will have some work to do. Thankfully, it seems like England are scoring goals for fun at the moment, and it will be interesting to see what betting resources like wettenerfahrungen.com are serving up in terms of odds and betting offers for this highly anticipated match.
The fact that the Dutch team recently conceded three goals to a below-par Germany team in their Euro 2020 qualifiers will certainly give in-form England strikers like Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling plenty to look forward to. However, it’s important to remember that even if England manage to beat the Netherlands, their eventual opponents in the final could pose plenty of problems.
The other semi-finalists, Switzerland and Portugal, will play each other on 5 June at the Estádio do Dragão stadium in Portugal. The Swiss team were one of the surprises of the 2018 World Cup, and they even managed to put in some great performances such as their shock 5-2 win over Belgium to book their Nations League semi-final appearance.
With strong players like Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri always capable of providing plenty of trouble, it’s clear that Switzerland will be fancying their chances against Portugal in June. Whilst playing at home will undoubtedly help the Portuguese cause, it’s clear that this team just aren’t the same side that they once were.
Obviously all eyes will continue to be on their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo. Whilst this legendary player has managed to settle in nicely at his new club, Juventus, it seems as though he faces a much tougher time with his national side. This was seen in their gruelling 1-1 Euro 2020 qualifier draw with Serbia which even saw Ronaldo picking up a nasty hamstring injury. Although players like Renato Sanches and Pepe can always put in some decent performances, there just doesn’t seem to be enough strength in depth in the Portuguese team to win the Nations League.
As a result, it looks like the Nations League could be England’s best chance of picking up some silverware in years. Whilst the Nations League was widely derided at the beginning as a result of its baffling tournament format, it has grown to be an excellent addition to the international footballing scene. And if England manage to live up to the hype to win the tournament, it will help to make up for all of the team’s past sporting misfortunes.
