Nations League quarter-finals – What to Expect?

After a four-month break, international football is returning, and Germany will face Italy in the quarter-finals of the Nations League in March.

Italy vs Germany

German’s coach Julian Nagelsmann announced the list of players he is counting on for the matches against the Azzurri on March 20^th and 23^rd.

The biggest news on Nagelsmann’s list is the return of Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka to the camp after a year and a half of absence.

He was last called up in November 2023. Goretzka then had problems at Bayern with then-coach Tuchel, played less and Nagelsmann did not call him up.

However, Goretzka revived his footballing skills under Vincent Kompany and deserved a return to the national team. Interesting news is the call-up to Mainz playmaker Nadim Amiri, who was last a national team member four years ago under Joachim Loew.

Karim Adeyemi, David Raum, Levelling, Angelo Stiller, Deniz Undav and Jonathan Burkhart are returning to the national team after a short absence.

The Italian national team has twice finished third in the Nations League.

The Azzurri will embark on their journey to their first trophy in the aforementioned competition with a team made up of 80 percent players who play in Serie A!

Luciano Spalletti has announced a list of 25 names, with only goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Guglielmo Vicario, defenders Destino Udogie and Riccardo Calafiori, and midfielder Sandro Tonalli playing for clubs outside the Apennine peninsula.

The biggest blow for Italy ahead of their Nations League quarter-final matches with Germany on March 20 and 23 is the absence of injured wing-back Federico Dimarco.

At stake in the two-legged tie with Germany is not only the semi-finals of the Nations League, but also a place in various qualifying groups for the 2026 World Cup.

If they eliminate the Panzers, Spalletti’s men will play in a group with Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg.

At the same time, they will be joined by Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova in the event of a defeat.

Croatia vs France

The Croats will gather in Split on March 17, three days later, at the Hajduk stadium, where they will play against France.

The return match is on the 23^rd of this month in Saint-Denis.

The better of the two matches will qualify for the League of Nations final tournament in June.

Rijeka has monopolized the Croatian national team’s list!

Both current and former members of the club from Rujevica dominate the selection of Zlatko Dalic for the two-match match with France, worthy of a place in the final tournament of the League of Nations.

Dalic, in the previous gathering, called up Toni Fruk, who is playing great this season and is one of the key players on the way to first place in the HNL.

At the same time, Franjo Ivanovic is a serious reinforcement for the Belgian Union Saint-Gilloise because he scores and sets goals.

In addition, Dalic is counting on Marko Pasalic and Nediljko Labrovic, previously members of Rijeka, with the note that Martin Erlic, Marko Pjaca and Mislav Orsic are also there.

It is known that getting into the national team under Deschamps is difficult but even more difficult to get out of it.

The popular Asterix likes to count on proven forces and rarely makes big changes to the roster, although he has a huge selection of quality players.

However, the first call-up to the national team was made for the young Desire Due (19) from Paris Saint-Germain, who has played excellently for Luis Enrique this season.

He came from Rennes in the summer in a transfer worth 50,000,000 euros after transferring from Bayern and showed that he was worth the investment.

Although he plays on the wing where Dembele, Kvaratskelia, Barkola are, he has earned serious minutes and scored seven goals and 11 assists in 38 games.

The biggest surprise on the list is the absence of the long-time national team player and vice-captain N’Golo Kante, who plays for Saudi Al Ittihad.

However, Deschamps explained at the media conference that he did not want to force him because the midfielder has a minor muscle injury and that he used the chance to try some other players.

Netherlands vs Spain

The managers of the Dutch and Spanish national football teams, Ronald Koeman and Luis de la Fuente, also announced on Friday the lists of players for their quarter-final clashes in the League of Nations, which will be played on March 20 in Rotterdam and on March 23 in Valencia.

So Koeman included striker Memphis Depay on the list for the first time since he went to Brazilian Corinthians.

Depay became a free agent after his contract with Atletico Madrid expired at the end of last season, and he signed for Corinthians only in October.

Therefore, Koeman did not call him for the last fall matches, but after Depay made 12 appearances in Brazil, he was returned to the national team.

However, the defense of the Netherlands will be significantly weakened because Nathan Ake and Stefan de Vrij are out due to injuries.

On the other hand, De la Fuente invited the Real Madrid defender, 22-year-old Raul Asencio, to the national team for the first time, even though he only made 14 appearances this season in all competitions.

However, forward Marco Asensio did not gain De la Fuente’s trust despite his excellent form and seven goals scored in eight appearances for Aston Villa, where he arrived on loan from Paris SG in January.

Also, Barcelona midfielder Gavi, who has recovered from a serious knee injury that kept him out for 14 months, is not on the list.

Denmark vs Portugal

Spain is the European champion,

France is the world vice-champion, England is the two-time consecutive European vice-champion…

But, can you put your hand in the fire that any of them will boast a higher quality than what the Portuguese currently have available?

The list of Portuguese coach Roberto Martinez for the quarter-final match of the Nations League against Denmark is terrifying!

So much football quality and class in one place… That an ordinary football fan would feel sorry that such a team fell into the hands of Roberto Martinez…

We know how he fared with the Belgians. Perhaps the only thing that the Portuguese do not have a world superstar is a goalkeeper, but it is far from the case that Diogo Costa is not a reliable and quality goalkeeper.

The center-back rotation includes Ruben Dias, Juventus’ Rafael Veiga, and young stars from Benfica and Sporting: Antonio Silva and Gonzalo Inacio.

On the flanks, Nuno Mendes and Nuno Tavares, Nelson Semedo and Diego Dalo. And then there’s the midfield…

You’ll freeze!

Vitinha and Palinha, Joao Neves and Ruben Neves, Manchester aces Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva…

On the wing positions are Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafa Leao, Trincao and Conceicao, the new wonder Giovani Quenda, and in the very center of the pitch Ramos and Jota. Poor Danes.