The Nations League group stages come to an end on Tuesday night, with this game featuring Portugal and Poland the only game from the top tier. While it is the highest quality game on show, there is nothing to play for here for either team, Portugal have already won the group, while Poland are already confirmed as being relegated to the second tier. Having said that, this will be the last chance that players from both teams get the chance to impress for a few months at international level so I still expect to see a decent game here between these two, with both sides wanting to win.

The Portuguese have a fantastic chance to win the Nations League final when they take part in the competition’s closing stage next June. They have been chosen as the hosts for the final stage, giving them an advantage of their opponents. That should make this team hungry to impress, it isn’t often you get to the last four of an international competition and you know you will be playing on home soil in the games remaining. This is a big chance for the Portuguese national team, and everyone will want to play their part in their success if there is any.

Nations League a Huge Success at the First Attempt

When the Nations League was launched, the competition had aims to make it a success. These were:

• To lower the number of meaningless friendlies played at international level
• To give teams the chance to play against other teams of a similar ability on a regular basis
• To heighten the interest in international football when no major tournament is taking place

As the group stages come to a close over the next couple of days, I think it is fair to say that the Nations League has been a huge success at the very first attempt. We have seen competitive games take the place of boring friendlies, which has been a huge boost for international football. Those games have featured teams of a similar ability, which is another problem that fans have. Those watching the top teams don’t want to see them win comfortably against smaller nations, and those watching smaller nations are fed up of seeing their team lose in games they stand little chance of winning.

When you put together the top two point, those feed into the third and final aim, which is to bring interest to international football at a time like this, after a major tournament. There is no doubt that this has also happened, these Nations League games have been far more interesting, with more people watching than what would have happened if we had played friendlies during this period.

It doesn’t matter which team you support on the international stage, what you have seen over the past couple of months has been better than watching your team play friendlies. For a team like Portugal, in the top tier, they have played competitive games against good teams like Italy and Poland, while also have the chance to win some silverware next summer thanks to qualifying for the final next June.

Further down the pyramid at the bottom we have seen minnows like Kosovo and Gibraltar give their fans hope by winning games. Winning doesn’t come easy to teams like that, and normally they would have played friendlies against bigger nations, which would have resulted in defeat for them. Instead of this they are winning games and inspiring the next generation of footballers in their country. They are showing that if they play at the right level against the right teams they can compete, and this is something they are going to have the chance to do for years to come thanks to the Nations League.

Whether you are a fan of a team playing in the top tier of the Nations League, or your team is right at the bottom in League D, you should be pleased with what you have seen, and excited about the future thanks to the Nations League.

Portugal’s Opponents Next June Almost Confirmed

We know three of the four teams that will be taking part in the Nations League final next June. Portugal will host the tournament, with England and Switzerland confirmed as joining them. The final team will be decided on Monday, with either France or Holland making their way through to the final. The big date to look out for is December 3rd, this is when the draw will be made for the two semi finals, and we will know the final line up.

The dates and venues have been provisionally confirmed for the finals next June, but they will be officially confirmed on December 3rd when the fixtures are announced. The stadiums of Porto and Guimaeres have been mentioned, with the dates 5th, 6th and 9th of June the ones that are expected to be used.

That will bring to an end the first ever Nations League, with a great looking trophy up for grabs to the winner of the event. Winning any international trophy is special to the players invovled, but with this being the very first Nations League, the prestige of winning this tournament is even higher, which should give us some extremely good games next June, with a lot on the line.

Portugal vs Poland Betting Tips

While there is little to play for here other than pride, I do think this will still be a competitive game, with both teams seeing this as the last chance to impress before international football takes a break over the winter. If there is one team who will want to impress more than the other, that should certainly be Portugal. Between now and next June, their players will battle it out for starting spots and squad positions ahead of the Nations League final. As this is a tournament they are going to host, this has extra importance and meaning to their players, and they will want to impress and earn a starting spot.

I think that is going to be enough for them to win this game here, they have a little more to play for, and with their home crowd backing them they are going to come out on top. Portugal have been impressive in the Nations League, and I am backing them to round off their campaign with another win here, which would mean they have not lost any of their four games in the competition.

Poland are already relegated, but Portugal are looking forward to the final, so I’m backing them to come out on top in the final group game.

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