Meet the UEFA Nations League finals contenders – UEFA.com

Spain will take on France in the UEFA Nations League final, with beaten last-four duo Italy and Belgium left to compete for third place.

Nations League finals in depth

Final: Spain vs France, Sunday October 10 (San Siro, Milan, 20:45 CET)

SPAIN

Group A4 winners: W3 D2 L1 F13 A3
Semi-final result: won 2-1 against Italy
Top scorer: Ferran Torres (6)

Group results
03/09: Germany 1-1 Spain
06/09: Spain 4-0 Ukraine
10/10: Spain 1-0 Switzerland
13/10: Ukraine 1-0 Spain
14/11: Switzerland 1-1 Spain
17/11: Spain 6-0 Germany

Watch every Spain goal on the road to the final four

Coach: Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique stepped down in June 2019 for personal reasons but returned to his post five months later in November after UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying had concluded. Having previously guided Barcelona to UEFA Champions League glory in 2015, he is now hoping to lift a first trophy at the Spain helm.

Key player: Sergio Busquets
“This team will be back,” promised the Barcelona midfielder after Spain lost out to Italy on penalties in the EURO 2020 semi-finals. He is now very much a senior member of this Spain squad, but no less indispensable.

One to watch: Yeremi Pino
The 18-year-old midfielder became the youngest Spanish player to start a major European final when he starred for Villarreal in their UEFA Europa League success against Manchester United. Having represented his country at several youth levels, he won his first senior cap as a substitute in the semi-finals.

FRANCE

Group A3 winners: W5 D1 L0 F12 A5
Semi-final result: won 3-2 against Belgium
Top scorer: Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud (3)

Results
05/09: Sweden 0-1 France
08/09: France 4-2 Croatia
11/10: France 0-0 Portugal
14/10: Croatia 1-2 France
14/11: Portugal 0-1 France
17/11: France 4-2 Sweden 

Watch every France goal on the road to the final four

Coach: Didier Deschamps
Deschamps captained Les Bleus to victory at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2000. France boss since 2012, he then led them to World Cup glory in 2018 and is keen to bounce after a disappointing showing at UEFA EURO 2020, where Les Bleus stumbled against Switzerland in the last 16.

Key player: Antoine Griezmann
The influence of EURO 2016’s best player and top scorer on the team has deepened with time; he also scored three and set up seven in UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying, and is now ahead of Zinédine Zidane in France’s all-time top scorer ranking.

One to watch: Jules Koundé
The 22-year-old central defender earned his maiden France cap in the lead-up to UEFA EURO 2020 and played all 90 minutes of the 2-2 draw with Portugal during the finals. It was another big stride forward for the Sevilla stopper, whose reputation soared during the Spanish club’s run to UEFA Europa League success in 2019/20.

Match for third place: Italy vs Belgium, Sunday 10 October (Juventus Stadium, Turin, 15:00 CET)

ITALY

Group A1 winners: W3 D3 L0 F7 A2
Semi-final result: lost 2-1 to Spain
Top scorer: Domenico Berardi, Lorenzo Pellegrini (2)

Group results
04/09: Italy 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
07/09: Netherlands 0-1 Italy
11/10: Poland 0-0 Italy
14/10: Italy 1-1 Netherlands
15/11: Italy 2-0 Poland
18/11: Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-2 Italy

Watch every Italy goal on the road to the final four

Coach: Roberto Mancini
The man who led Italy to their second EURO trophy after over 50 years of wait. Before that, Mancini won club trophies as a coach in Italy, England and Turkey, having also been one of the best Italian forwards of his generation – though never that lucky with the Azzurri. Although he cannot now lead them to a second trophy in a single year, he will be keen to claim third place on home soil.

Key player: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Player of the Tournament at UEFA EURO 2020, the 22-year-old goalkeeper calmly underpinned Italy’s success and was a star performer in the Azzurri’s semi-final and final shoot-out successes.

One to watch: Federico Chiesa
The son of ex-Italy forward Enrico Chiesa, the 23-year-old caught the eye for his speed and determination on the wing at EURO 2020, scoring against Austria and Spain in the knockout phase.

BELGIUM

Group A2 winners: W5 D0 L1 F16 A6
Semi-final result: lost 3-2 to France
Top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (6)

Results
05/09: Denmark 0-2 Belgium
08/09: Belgium 5-1 Iceland
11/10: England 2-1 Belgium
14/10: Iceland 1-2 Belgium
15/11: Belgium 2-0 England
18/11: Belgium 4-2 Denmark

Watch every Belgium goal on the road to the final four

Coach: Roberto Martínez
A Spanish midfielder who carved out a niche in English football, Martínez has been in charge of Belgium since 2016. Tasked with steering the country’s much-vaunted ‘golden generation’ to a long-awaited triumph, he managed a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup before a quarter-final exit at UEFA EURO 2020.

Key player: Kevin De Bruyne
The 2019/20 UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season continues to flourish for club and country. Martínez’s creative heartbeat.

One to watch: Charles De Ketelaere
Belgium’s latest supreme talent. He made his first-team debut at Club Brugge aged 18, broke into the senior international side at 19 and, now aged 20, could make an impact in Italy. Where he would play is anybody’s guess: he can play anywhere from left-back to centre forward!

Download the UEFA Nations League app

from WordPress https://ift.tt/3mCiqak
via IFTTT