The penultimate set of group matches in the UEFA Nations League campaign concludes on Saturday when the sections which are yet to play in this international break do so on what could be a dramatic day of action across the continent.
All four leagues are in action over what is a fairly busy day on Saturday where we will see promotion spots, quarter final places and in some cases relegations confirmed ahead of the final games of each group.
League A
Just the one group is on show on Saturday which is A3 where it is expected that Germany will secure a quarter final spot. A win for them when they host Bosnia-Herzegovina will guarantee them a place in the last eight but in all likelihood a draw will as well. The greater attention will be on the other match in the group where the Netherlands and Hungary are locked level on five points each heading into their meeting. The winner will assume pole position for a quarter final spot while the loser will face an upward task in the last set of matches.
League B
Two groups will be in action in League B on Saturday with B1 one of those to play out their penultimate matches. Czechia are the ones heading the way going into the day and they face an awkward trip to Albania in the later kick off. The winners of that one will be in control of their own destiny going into the final night but a Czech win could see them guarantee a top two finish. The other match comes in the earlier kick off where Georgia will look to bolster their promotion hopes when they host a Ukraine side who could get right back into the promotion mix with a win. B4 is the other group on show where the top two battle it out as Turkey go in search of the point they need to secure a top two finish when they host Wales. A Turkey win will sew up promotion but a Wales win will put automatic promotion in their hands going into the final day. Iceland aren’t out of the promotion shake up yet and they will be looking for a win in Montenegro to keep their hopes alive.
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Leagues C+D
There is action in one group on both League C and D on Saturday with C1 being one of those on show. We actually begin the day in this section where the bottom two teams meet when Azerbaijan play host to Estonia with both battling to avoid guaranteed relegation. Later in the day the top two will meet in the match that could decide automatic promotion when Sweden entertain Slovakia with the home side knowing that a win will put them on the edge of a return to League B while defeat could leave them needing a play-off. In League D, Moldova will be out to secure a spot in League C when they head to Andorra.
Betting
I’ll take a couple of bets over the course of the night with the first one coming in the match between Georgia and Ukraine where a competitive affair is expected and a potentially feisty one too with the loser facing a tough if not impossible task to get promoted and potentially staring relegation in the face. The referee was busy in the first meeting between these two when eight cards were brandished and we might very well match that when you consider that Chris Kavanagh has been appointed as the official for the game. He is averaging seven cards per match this season including three crazy affairs where he has reached double figures for the card count. This could get very spicy and an official who has already sent a player off for delaying a restart this season is sure to be hot on every little thing he can be so the over 5 Asian cards looks a big runner here.
Moving into the later part of the evening, I like goals in the match between Sweden and Slovakia. This is basically a winner takes all match for the automatic promotion spot so I expect to see goals here. Whoever concedes the first one will have to come out and go on the offensive and that can open the game right up. The first meeting between the two ended 2-2 and when you consider that Sweden now have Alexander Isak back for this match to go alongside the confident Viktor Gyokeres it would make sense to expect the goals to flow here too. While Sweden are looking more and more dangerous going forward I’m still not convinced I trust their defence so over 2.5 goals, even at a skinny price, feels the right play here.
Tips
Back Georgia vs Ukraine – Over 5 Asian cards for a 3/10 stake at 1.78 with Bet365
Back Sweden vs Slovakia – Over 2.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.73 with Betfair
