The best action to follow this weekend
Friday
The last international break before the 2022 World Cup is upon us and here’s a selection of games that should keep you going through the next few days.
๐ฎ๐น๐๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Arguably the day’s biggest fixture in the UEFA Nations League is a repeat of the 2021 Euros Final as Italy take on England in Milan. The two sides played out a 0-0 draw back in June but with the Three Lions looking to avoid relegation from the competition’s top level and Italy being the side sat above them in the table, you can expect more fireworks from this one.
The other match in the group; Germany vs. Hungary will probably determine who qualifies for the Nations League Finals. Surprise package Hungary currently lead the way after back-to-back wins over England but they’ll need to be at their best to end Germany’s 13-game unbeaten run.
๐ง๐ท๐๐ฌ๐ญ If you’re up to date with certain online trends this week, you’ll know all about the strength of Brazil‘s squad and the abundance of attacking talent that coach Tite can call upon going in to the World Cup. Today though, all that will be put to the test against a Ghana side who will be introducing some new players of their own. With the likes of Athletic Club’s Iรฑaki Williams switching allegiance to the nation, the Black Stars are looking for a good showing ahead of their first World Cup since 2014.
Saturday
๐ช๐ธ๐๐จ๐ญOn Saturday, Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League’s top division will take centre-stage. Leaders Spain face bottom side Switzerland knowing that a win will likely set them up for a winner-takes-all game against Portugal this coming Tuesday. Luis Enrique’s side are unbeaten since losing the final of the last edition of the Nations League back in October 2021, a run of eight games.
Meanwhile, Portugal travel to Czechia needing a win to guarantee that grandstand finish to the group in the week. The Czechs aren’t out of it themselves but will need to win both their final games, and hope Spain drop points in order to qualify for the tournament finals.
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ช Down in League B, Scotland boosted their chances of promotion with a resounding 3-0 win over Ukraine on Wednesday evening. They now lead Group 1 going into Saturday’s game against Ireland. A draw would end Ireland’s outside chance of moving up and indeed, put them at risk of relegation, whilst a point for Scotland sets up another decisive game for them – away to Ukraine on Tuesday (that game will take place in Poland, for obvious reasons).
There is, of course, plenty of lower league domestic action available to follow in the app this weekend so remember that our coverage reaches as far as the fourth tier in a number of large footballing nations plus all the way down to the seventh level in England.
๐บ๐ธ Having said that, there is some top flight action to get excited about – not least in MLS where one fixture remains on the schedule. And it’s a biggy – the California Clรกsico between San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy.
The Quakes may be languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference while the Galaxy are fighting for a play-off place but they have beaten their rivals in their last two meetings – including a thrilling 3-2 win in LA back in July.
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ There’s also a full round of games in the English WSL – with the women’s North London Derby undoubtably the biggest draw of the weekend. Arsenal face Spurs at the Emirates and should smash the league’s attendance record with over 40,000 tickets sold.
๐น And now for something completely different… We’ve got the Sidemen listed in the app as the YouTube legends (16.5 million subscribers and counting) take on a team of international YouTube stars in a charity match.
The game takes place at a sold-out Valley, home of Charlton Athletic in London and will feature Sidemen members such as KSI, Miniminter and Vikkstar123 along with a host of well known names including MrBeast, ChrisMD, Deji, Chunkz, and Danny Aarons.
Sunday
๐ฉ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ท Back in the Nations League, Sunday sees a number of groups play to a conclusion. World Champions France eased the risk of an embarrassing relegation from the competition’s top tier with victory over Austria on Thursday evening but will still be looking to get something out of their fixture against Denmark. The Danes meanwhile lost top spot following their defeat to Croatia on the same evening and will still hope a win here (and an unlikely result for Croatia in Austria) will see them take Group 1’s place in the Nation League finals.
๐ณ๐ฑ๐๐ง๐ช In Group 4 there’s something of a decider between Benelux neighbours – Netherlands and Belgium. The Dutch have a three-point lead but a big win for Roberto Martinez’s Red Devils could see them pip their local rivals to the post. And by big, we mean Belgium must win by +4 goals!
๐ซ๐ด๐๐น๐ท Further down the Nations League pyramid, Turkiye went behind three times against Luxembourg in their midweek game before recovering to take the point they needed to confirm promotion. They now face the long trip to the Faroe Islands for their final group game in a clash between two of Europe’s most contrasting nations.
๐ณ๐ฟ๐๐ฆ๐บ Until Thursday, New Zealand hadn’t played near neighbours Australia for 11 years. Now, they’re set to play them for the second time in a week! The second friendly match of this mini-series makes up part of the Socceroos’ 100 anniversary celebrations and acts as a farewell game before Australia compete in what will be their sixth World Cup Finals later this year.
It was Australia who won the game in midweek with Cadรญz forward Awer Mabil scoring the only goal.
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Back in the WSL, two of the leagues’ biggest teams clash as Manchester City go to defending champions Chelsea. Both sides were subject to unexpected upsets on the opening weekend of the season – Chelsea losing at newly promoted Liverpool while City went down 4-3 to a Rachel Daly-inspired Aston Villa.
If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.
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Cover Image from IMAGO