The inaugural UEFA Nations League concludes this week with the first semi-final taking place on Wednesday as the hosts Portugal take on Switzerland for a place in the final of the competition on Sunday.
Both these sides came through the group stage confidently enough and will be looking to win European silverware ahead of Euro 2020 next summer so we should be in for something of a competitive outing here.
Portugal
The European champions came through a group which included Italy to make it to this stage and having done that they will feel confident about progressing through to the final. A lot of the age old Portugal players are running towards the end of their cycle so they will be eager to deliver the goods over the course of this week and build up for a swansong across Europe next summer.
What I like about this Portugal side is they haven’t just kept with the men which won the Euros in France in 2016, they have brought through the next generation and that bodes well for a period of dominance at this level, which they will hope to take onto the world stage when the opportunity next arises.
Switzerland
I guess when you think they were in a group with Belgium in the first phase, Switzerland could be described as surprise semi-finalists for this tournament but they are an improving nation who have fired themselves into one of the better outfits in Europe. They have always had a defensive solidity but they have started to add a potency to their game which is serving them extremely well.
This match will serve Switzerland well moving forward. They don’t have the best of records in knockout matches at tournaments so if they can come through here it would be a massive boost to a side who will be fancying going all the way in the European Championship next summer. If they are to do that they need to force themselves to task the odd risk to try to win the match rather than containing and hoping something happens.
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Team News
Cristiano Ronaldo sat out the entire group phase of this tournament but he is back for the finals and he is in a squad which includes the exciting Benfica teenager Joao Felix. Wolves are well represented in the squad while Manchester City star Bernardo Silva is also included.
It would appear that Haris Seferovic will be given the nod to start up front while Premier League pair Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri will look to have an impact on a big match. Newcastle defender Fabian Schar is also in the squad.
Betting
The general consensus is that this could be a close match. I suspect that comes from the fact that both sides are usually quite cautious in knockout football but while both teams will want to win this tournament I don’t think the match carries the same pressure that a World Cup or Euro knockout match has and as a result I fancy we might see a slightly more open contest as a result.
I think that can play into the hands of the home side Portugal. They have the better attacking options at their disposal and with them maintaining enough control in defensive areas I think their attacking dynamic can see them through here. I wouldn’t expect a runaway victory or anything like that but I do think Portugal have the tools to get the job done inside the 90 minutes in this one.
Tips
WON – Back Portugal (-0.75AH) to beat Switzerland for a 4/10 stake at 1.90 with ComeOn
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