NATIONS LEAGUE ACCA TIPS WITH BETMGM
The UEFA Nations League returns on Thursday; England host Croatia at Wembley, while Italy face France in League A. The Three Lions will aim to secure three points, and Harry Kane will look towards reaching another milestone in his international career. The England captain is currently level with Peter Shilton on 125 appearances and could become the most-capped player in the history of the men's national team if he features against Croatia.
Spain travel to Czechia as they look to maintain their perfect start in the competition; Portugal will aim to do the same when they face Denmark on Saturday. Another standout team has been Switzerland. They've been brilliant in League B, securing a maximum of 12 points in their opening four games. During that run, Murat Yakin's side conceded just one goal. Zeki Amdouni has scored three goals, while Dan Ndoye has managed five attacking returns. I can see the Swiss continuing their momentum and securing three points against Slovenia on Friday night.
Northern Ireland have also enjoyed a strong start to the competition, and they're the only team who haven't conceded a goal. They face Ukraine on Saturday, while the Republic of Ireland travel to Austria. Troy Parrott has been in great form for Ireland, scoring four of their six goals so far.
With the group stages coming towards an end, there is still plenty to play for across all four leagues.
Football betting tipster
Louie Truman has picked out four selections with
BetMGM
for this round of fixtures and combined them into a 14/1 acca.
ITALY VS FRANCE -
MICHAEL OLISE TO SCORE (21/10)
France will look to secure another three points against Italy. The Italians have struggled at the back in recent matches, with 24 attempts conceded on target in their four games so far. Roberto Mancini has returned as Italy manager, having previously guided the national team to Euro 2020 success. However, it has been a mixed start to his second spell, with two wins, one draw and one defeat from their opening four Nations League matches.
Italy have beaten Türkiye twice, but they were also beaten 2-0 by Belgium and held to a 1-1 draw against France. Mancini's side are yet to keep a clean sheet in the competition.
Michael Olise is a player to watch; he's managed four goals so far in two starts. I expect him to be in the starting line-up against Italy, and he has been excellent recently. The French winger has managed 70 goal contributions in 75 Bundesliga appearances. Italy have been struggling defensively, and I think it's a good opportunity for Olise to get on the score sheet.
ENGLAND VS CROATIA - ENGLAND TO WIN (¼)
England will look to continue their good run against Croatia. Thomas Tuchel's side have been solid in attack; Harry Kane scored a brace in their recent outing against Czechia. When looking at recent meetings, England have won five of the last seven games against Croatia. This includes a 7-0 win over Croatia in their previous meeting.
England have scored 12 goals in their last three games, which shows how dangerous they are in attack. On the other hand, Croatia are without a clean sheet in their last 14 games. The Three Lions will have the home advantage at Wembley, and I expect England to continue their excellent run of form with three points.
SPAIN VS CZECHIA - SPAIN TO WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE (6/4)
Spain have been one of the standout teams in the competition, winning all four matches so far. Spain have been brilliant going forward, but they've been letting goals in regularly. Despite winning every game, Spain are yet to keep a clean sheet. I think that could be the case again here, particularly with Czechia having the home advantage.
Czechia have struggled for results, but they've found the back of the net in eight of their last ten home matches; I think they could cause Spain a few problems defensively. Spain should have too much quality in the final third, and I expect them to come away with another win. However, I'm not confident they'll keep a clean sheet.
NETHERLANDS VS GREECE – NETHERLANDS WIN
The Netherlands face Greece, with both sides currently level on eight points at the top of League A2. Both teams haven't lost a match in the competition so far, but I think the Netherlands will have enough quality to come away with all three points.
The Dutch have been in good form recently, winning three of their previous six matches and drawing the other three. Their defensive record hasn't been particularly convincing, with no clean sheets in their last 12 games. However, they have looked dangerous going forward, scoring in each of their previous six matches. Their latest result was a 2-1 win over Serbia, and Xavi Hernández will hope for his side to build on that performance.
Greece have been difficult to beat in the Nations League, conceding just three goals in their opening four matches. They have also won their previous six away fixtures in the competition, including an impressive win over Germany. However, the Netherlands will provide another difficult test, and I think the Dutch will have enough attacking quality to bring that run to an end.
