The penultimate round of group matches in the UEFA Nations League 2022-23 campaign concludes on Saturday evening when the groups we are yet to see on the pitch in this international break get their chance to shine.
As has been the case throughout the week so far promotion and relegation issues are at stake over the course of what is a pretty busy day with 10 matches taking place in the various leagues across three kick off times on Saturday.
League A
Just the one group takes place in the top league on Saturday and that comes in Group 2 where the Iberian duo Spain and Portugal look to remain on course for a winner takes all showdown in the final set of matches. In order to get there Spain will need to pick up a result at home to Switzerland while Portugal head to Prague to take on the Czech Republic knowing they have to match the Spanish result in order to keep in with a chance of reaching the last four.
League B
It is a very busy day in League B on Saturday with three groups on show over the course of it. The first of those is Group 1 where Scotland are now in control of their own destiny. If they win at home to the Republic of Ireland they will need just a draw in their final game to guarantee promotion. They might be knocked off top spot before they play though as Ukraine head to Armenia in the first match of the day to kick off. Group 2 is also in action on Saturday but with Russia being chucked out there is just the one game which sees Israel looking to secure their promotion when they play host to Albania. There is also action in Group 4 on Saturday evening. The first match to kick off sees the leaders Norway playing host to the bottom side Slovenia. When they are done Serbia will look to stay in the promotion race when they host a Sweden side who didn’t have the summer they wanted and will be looking for better.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account to get up to £25 in free bets! Perfect offer for this league! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
League C
The remainder of the action on Saturday comes from League C where one group will play their penultimate matches. That group is Group B where Kosovo have to win in the early kick off away to Northern Ireland to keep their hopes of promotion alive. Even then it could be all in vein because Greece only need a point to achieve their promotion. They head to Cyprus in the later kick off and you would expect them to pick that up.
Betting
I think we’ve seen over the course of this campaign that the competition means more to the teams who are not going to the World Cup compared to those who are and that is certainly the case in Group B4 where Norway have stormed clear and I expect them to retain their dominance in the section when they make the trip to Slovenia in the middle kick off time on Saturday. Slovenia always looked the weak link in the section and that is how it is playing out.
Top scorer Josip Ilicic hasn’t been a part of the squad for this tournament and that leaves former Middlesbrough loanee Andraz Sporar to lead the line. When you think he plied his trade in the Championship last season and on the other side of the field Norway have the best number nine in the game it highlights the size of the mismatch here. It isn’t all about Erling Haaland for Norway though. Martin Odegaard is a world class talent while Sander Berge is playing brilliantly well for Sheffield United. I expect Norway to come away from this one with a victory.
Tips
Back Norway to beat Slovenia for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
