Key events
Preamble
Whisper it, but the Nations League is … quite good? It is, at least, a serious upgrade on the international iterations of the past. Jonathan Wilson, in today’s newsletter, described the Nations League as a “palate-cleanser” and “having “a similar role to the Carabao Cup, a competition that is not nothing but is not obviously something either”, which I think is just about right. You can read more of Jonathan’s thoughts right here.
Another intriguing evening of Nations League awaits. Here are the 7.45pm BST fixtures we will be covering in this liveblog:
Belgium v France
Northern Ireland v Hungary
Turkey v Italy
Sweden v Poland
Romania v Bosnia and Herzegovina
Plenty to go on, then. Belgium v France promises to be a cracker. Belgium were excellent in victory on Friday, Mark van Bommel’s first game in charge. They swatted aside Italy 2-0 in Rome, and did it all without the sidelined Jérémy Doku (although his replacement, PSG’s Mika Godts, was a revelation). France are missing Kylian Mbappé after the Real Madrid was hurt in scoring the only goal of the game in Turkey – Mbappé has since been diagnosed with hyperextension of the posterior capsule of his left knee, and is expected to be out for the rest of the international break. Now coached by Zinedine Zidane, France flickered with quality against Turkey but also looked vulnerable. They are far from the finished article, but there is plenty of time for Zizou to work his magic.
Northern Ireland came away from Georgia on Friday with a dramatic 1-0 win, following Shea Charles’ 99th-minute toe-poke, but tonight is arguably a stiffer test as Hungary and Dominik Szoboszlai arrive in Belfast. Hungary lost at home to Ukraine on Friday and will be determined to bounce back.
Sweden v Poland looks evenly matched, but Turkey v Italy is the pick of the games otherwise. Vincenzo Montella, Turkey’s manager, faces compatriot Roberto Mancini in the battle of the dugouts. The pair briefly played together 30 years ago at Sampdoria, in Mancini’s final season at the club. Together they scored a combined 37 goals in 1996-97 to help Samp qualify for the Uefa Cup. “I believe in him; he has the experience and knowledge to bring Italy back to the top,” said Montella in the lead up to this game. “He is the right person. Our relationship? We don’t socialise, but there’s mutual respect, esteem, and affection after our year at Sampdoria.”
We’ll see if Mancini changes his XI tonight, the one that lost to Belgium looked tired and lacking in ideas.
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