Italian football has suffered its biggest setback recently and they continue to rebuild towards a better future with Roberto Mancini at the helm. The Italians are one of the world’s biggest teams and they are expected to partake in every global or continental showpiece, so it was a slap in the face when they couldn’t make it to the last World Cup. That failure cost their then manager his job and Mancini has been given the task to restore their former glory days. He has largely been experimenting as he continues to search for his best team. They managed to avoid relegation from the Euro Nations League, but they have won just one of their last seven games and they should give their fans something to cheer in this game. USA also failed to qualify for the World Cup perhaps in a more disappointing manner as the likes of Panama did qualify ahead of them. They had to fire two managers following that failed qualifying campaign and Dave Sarachan who remains an interim manager hasn’t have much success either. They come into this game on the back of a single win in seven games, while they are a side filled with talented players, there seems to be so much work left to be done in the rebuilding of one of the biggest teams in North America.

France’s victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia has made them the team to beat at the moment. Les Blues played and defeated the likes of Argentina, Belgium, and even Uruguay as they went all the way in Russia and they have not been doing badly in their games after that competition so far. They beat the Netherlands and Germany in the Euro Nations League, but a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in the reverse fixture now means that Germany has to beat the Dutch men for Les Blues to qualify for the next round. However, Didier Deschamps’ men would now focus on beating Uruguay for the second time in as many games in this match. Uruguay reached the quarterfinals of the last World Cup before they were eventually eliminated by France and they would be looking for revenge in this game, even though their recent form doesn’t make them favourites. The South Americans beat Mexico 4-1 just after their World Cup campaign, but they have since all three subsequent matches the last of which was a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil.  

Russia head into this game with the knowledge that a draw would be just enough for them to get promoted from group B into the elite group of this competition and the 2018 World Cup hosts should dig deep to get that here. When Sweden visited Turkey at the weekend, Russia was hoping that the Scandinavians would be denied victory but that was exactly what they achieve, and that 1-0 win means the 2018 World Cup host would have to wait until the end of this game to confirm their qualification. Russia has continued to improve since their impressive run at the World Cup and they head into this game having not tasted a defeat in any of their last 3 games in this competition. They are 3 points ahead of Sweden and have a superior goal difference, so mathematically they should qualify when one considers Sweden’s struggle in front of goal. When these teams first met in Russia, it ended goalless and a low-scoring affair has overshadowed their past meetings as well.

Croatia seems to still be suffering from a major hangover after their World Cup run to the final and their fans would hope that things get better soon enough. They were beaten 6-0 by Spain in this reverse fixture, and could only get a point from their home game against England. This game offers them the chance to get over their recent run of poor form, but it would be and unwise idea to bet on them beating Luis Enrique’s men. When Croatia reached the final of the World Cup in Russia, they had one key characteristic, and that was their doggedness and ability to keep fighting until the final whistle. However, they seem to have lost that after losing the competition’s final to France. They have had a bad spell at the back and offer almost nothing when going forward, their fans would be wondering how they can break a defence with Sergio Ramos when they could beat poor Jordan by just a lone goal in their last friendly game. Spain have banished their World Cup blues to start Luis Enrique’s tenure on a bright note. They may have been beaten by England in Seville in their last game, they remain a generously talented side. However, conceding 4 goals at home against England showed that they are also a side that is vulnerable at the back, and Croatia could take advantage of that.

Belgium has been on an upward trajectory since they named Roberto Martinez as their manager, and it seems that it is only a matter of time before this Golden generation of players delivers a trophy to their nation. They have continued were they left off at the World Cup after winning third place. They have won two of their Euro Nations League games so far and their fans would be expecting them to win a third consecutive game at home here. They did draw with neighbors Netherlands, in a friendly in the last international window, but they should get maximum points in this game. Belgium defeated Iceland 3-0 away in the reverse fixture and their performance against a more organized Switzerland side also shows that they are set to get all the points in this match. Iceland have struggled to live up to the high expectations that their performances in recent years have placed on them. Being grouped together with Switzerland and Belgium, it was always going to be a major hurdle for them, and when they were beaten 6-0 by the Swiss in their first game, they had set the tone for a poor showing in this competition. They almost ran away with a win against France in their last Friendly game to show that they can still pull off a surprised win, however, we don’t expect them to start winning in this competition from this match as they have lost all their games so far.

It has been at least two years since Wayne Rooney retired from the English national team, but the Three Lions top scorer returns to the fold for this game. While there is still ongoing debate about why he has been called to get a 120th cap, Gareth Southgate would be looking to prepare his team to get another win in this game. The recall of Rooney makes this game appear like a testimonial, but the United States may take it even more seriously. They have not played a competitive game in over a year and they missed the World Cup in Russia. Dave Sarachan is still an interim manager and he has been testing a couple of young players, he would probably still do the same in this game, it would be interesting to see how that would turn out to be. England are expected to continue building their squad following a strong World Cup performance and the victory over Spain in their last competitive game. The like of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford could be given the chance to start this game, however, the Three Lions back may be their problem in this game. The United States have scored in each of their last 12 away internationals and both teams have scored in 10 of their last 11 away games too.

Milan would be looking to get over their derby day loss to Inter Milan at the weekend when they take on Real Betis in this game. The Italians have started this season well in European competitions, however, their struggle in the league means that they would take this competition seriously again as they look to get back into the Champions League by any means. Milan’s transfer drive is beginning to pay off. The players who couldn’t really blend in last season because they had come too early are beginning to create an understanding among themselves and that could help Milan get this trophy back to San Siro. They are currently top of their group, if they can secure yet another win in this game, they could move 5 points clear of their group rivals. Their visitors are also looking to reach the round f 32, but the Spaniards could be struggling with their confidence now after they suffered back to back 1-0 losses in the La Liga. They were beaten by Atletico Madrid before the international break, before suffering another upsetting loss at the hands of Real Valladolid last weekend, this form could see them struggle against Milan. Betis haven’t scored in 4 of their last 5 away games in all competitions and they may not offer too much work to Milan’s defence in this game. The Rossoneri may have lost at San Siro at the weekend, but that clash came with the stands packed with Inter fans. In their own home games, Milan have won five and drawn one of their last six. They’ve scored at least twice in ever home game so far this season, including a 3-1 win over Olympiakos in their first European game at home this term. They won six of eight home games in this competition last season.

After missing the last two competitions, the Netherlands got a major boost last weekend when they defeated Germany 3-0 on home soil. While that wasn’t the first time Germany have been beaten in recent months, it is the first time the Dutch have won a game by such a scoreline in a long time, and that would fill them with confidence ahead of this game. Belgium were eliminated from the World Cup by France at the semifinal stage, in truth they were one of the best teams in the competition and they probably deserved to win the cup. They have continued their push for a trophy before this golden generation of stars begins to retire. Their win over Switzerland the last time out has placed them on course for the semifinal of the Euro Nations League. Winning that competition would make up for their World Cup disappointment as well as help them earn their first trophy in a long time. They would also have their eyes on  Euro 2020, but how would they perform in this game. The Netherlands won 3rd place at the 2014 World Cup, but they have seen their neighbours overtake them at the international stage so far. They would be boosted by their last result ahead of this match, but Belgium haven’t lost a home game since Roberto Martinez’s first game as their manager and that makes this a tough game for the Dutchmen. These two sides last met just over two years ago, and they drew 1-1. It’s been 21 years since the Dutch last beat Belgium.

This game may be a friendly but it would probably turn out to be the most unfriendly of the lot as two of South America’s biggest rivals lock horns at the King Abdullah Sports City Reserve Stadium. Argentina endured a terrible World Cup that they were only fortunate to reach the knockout stages, however, they were eliminated by France at the round of 16, and several changes have occurred since that time. Lionel Scaloni has been named their new manager and he has been on an experimentation drive since that time. They have played Guatemala, Iraq, and Colombia since the World Cup and won all but the latter. This game would be a major test for them as they look to impress at the Copa America 2019. Brazil were eliminated by Belgium at the last World Cup, but Tite remains as their manager and seems to enjoy the support his reputation deserves. The Brazilians have also not suffered any post-World Cup hangover as they have dispatched USA, El Salvador, and Saudi Arabia in their post World Cup friendlies. They would be hosting the Copa America next year, and the least they can do is win the competition on home soil, so it would be interesting to see how they can perform here.

Germany head to France on the brink of being relegated from this tier of the Uefa Nations League after they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands at the weekend. That defeat came at the hands of a team that hasn’t qualified for a competition in the last four years and shows the level of decline the German team has suffered over the past 12 months. Germany were eliminated from the World Cup at the group stage after losing two group games, and they have defeated only Peru since that time. As a matter of fact, the Germans have won just 3 of their last 12 international games, and they would be short of confidence heading into this game with the World champions. France has continued their dominance of World football after winning the World Cup in Russia. They recovered from almost suffering a shock home defeat at the hands of Iceland last week to earn a 2-2 draw, and they would be looking to keep that form going in this game. They earned a goalless draw in Germany in the reverse of this fixture before beating the Netherlands. They have collected 4 points from two fixtures in this competition and a win here would almost certainly ensure qualification for the semifinals. Germany picked up a 0-0 draw as these two played their first ever game in the Nations League last month. Germany have failed to win all four meetings with France since the 2014 World Cup.