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The last act of the qualifications of the Asian confederation will be the challenge of the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan between the United Arab Emirates and Australia. The “alone” match that will sanction the fifth Asian qualification will be between two teams who finished third in their respective groups and who will compete on a neutral field in Qatar.
The United Arab Emirates are led on the bench by the Argentine Rodolfo Arrabuarrena and prepared for this match with a 1-1 friendly draw against Gambia thanks to a penalty by Ali Mabkhout. Australia also prepared for the match with a friendly match and, against Jordan Graham Arnold’s team, won 2-1 with goals from Baildey Wright and Awer Mabil. It is the seventh heads-up and the UAE won the last 1-0 on January 25, 2019.
Form Guide
United Arab Emirates WWLLWD
The United Arab Emirates enter this encounter having just played and drawn their previous international friendly match against Gambia 1-1.
In six of the last six matches that the UAE has been a part in, the average number of goals scored was less than three. The United Arab Emirates scored a total of 5 goals during this timeframe, while the other teams only managed a total of 3 goals during this time period.
Australia DDWDLL
The previous game that Australia played in the WC Qualifiers – Asia competition was against Saudi Arabia, and they ended up losing. As a result, both the Australian team and their fans that traveled with them are going into this one with the expectation that they will have better luck.
The Australia national team coached by Graham Arnold has scored seven goals as a result of their attacks during the course of their most recent six matches. The sum of the goals that they have given up in those same matches brings the total to 6 for the season.
Injured and suspended
United Arab Emirates: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
Australia: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
United Arab Emirates vs Australia Predicted XI
United Arab Emirates Predicted XI: Eisa; Hussain, Al Hammadi, Al-Ahbabi, Abbas; Hassan, Ramadan, Abdulrahman; Canedo, Mabkhout, Al-Maazmi.
Australia Predicted XI: Ryan; Karacic, Rowles, Wright, Davidson; Dougall, Mooy; Mabil, McGree, Hrustic; MacLaren.
Prediction
The stakes are very high, the field should not favor either team, and the precedents tell us that when these two national teams face off, little is scored. We are of the opinion that the United Arab Emirates will need to put in a lot of effort in order to score a goal against this Australian team, who we believe should at the very least score one goal.
So, we expect a battle royal between these two teams, with Australia winning by a score of 1-0 at the end of the match.
After taking home a point thanks to Bologna’s draw against Germany, Roberto Mancini’s Italy play the second match of the UEFA Nations League Group A3, hosting Hungary of the Italian coach Marco Rossi at the Dino Manuzzi Stadium in Cesena. The Azzurri, as mentioned, drew 1-1 at Dall’Ara and it was Lorenzo Pellegrini who gave the European champions the lead.
Hungary, on the other hand, made the coup of the day by beating England at home and thus taking the lead in the group. The Hungarian goal was scored on a penalty kick by Dominik Szoboszlai. Italy faces Hungary for the 34th time in history, and in the last precedent, a friendly match played on August 22, 2007, the Azzurri were defeated 3-1.
Form Guide
Italy DDLWLD
Italy come into this match after their previous match against Germany ended in a 1-1 tie in the Nations League.
During that match, Italy held 33 percent of the possession and had 11 shots on goal, with only two of those shots hitting the target. Lorenzo Pellegrini was the lone player on the Italian team to score (in the 70th minute). Twelve shots were taken by Germany, but only four of them were on target. Joshua Kimmich scored the winning goal for Germany in the 73rd minute.
In recent years, it has become far too infrequent for Italy to go an entire game without giving up a goal. In point of fact, Italy has allowed opponents to score in 5 of their most recent 6 matches, totaling 8 goals conceded along the way.
Hungary DWWLWW
As a result of Hungary’s victory over England in their most recent Nations League match, they will enter this contest riding high on a 1-0 victory.
During that game, Hungary held a 43 percent possession advantage and had 11 shots on goal, six of which were on target. Dominik Szoboszlai scored the goal for Hungary in the sixty-sixth minute. The English team had a total of 12 shots on goal, only four of which were successful.
The Hungary defenders have put together a string of solid performances, which has led to a reduction in the number of goals conceded by their team from the previous six matches, which now stands at three. During that time frame, their own offensive unit was able to rack up 9 points.
Injured and suspended
Italy: (Domenico Berardi, Ciro Immobile, Federico Chiesa, Gaetano Castrovilli, Rafael Toloi, Nicolo Zaniolo)
Hungary: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
Italy vs Hungary Predicted XI
Italy Predicted XI: Donnarumma; Emerson, Bastoni, Bonucci, Biraghi; Tonali, Verratti, Barella; Bernardeschi, Insigne, Scamacca.
Hungary Predicted XI: Gulacsi; Lang, Orban, Szalai; Nego, Nagy, Nagy, Schafer; Sallai, Szoboszlai, Szalai.
Prediction
Italy could also be able to bring home the win against Hungary, who won’t have an easy time penetrating their defense. Italy could also win given the good performance against Germany compared to the bad one from a few days before against Argentina. The Azzurri are favorites, but Hungary could be a tough rival led by a coach who knows Italian football well and who in recent years has made important progress with this team.
As a result, we anticipate that Italy will cruise to a pretty easy 2-0 victory after the whole 90 minutes are played.
On the second day of the UEFA Nations League Group A3, Germany coach Hans-Dieter Flick hosts England, coached by Gareth Southgate, at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The Germans started their tournament in Bologna, where they found a 1-1 draw against Italy and Joshua Kimmich balanced the fate of the match.
It was the second consecutive home draw for Germany. On the other hand, England were defeated in Budapest by Hungary 1-0, thus interrupting a series of 22 useful results (in the 90 minutes) in a row. It will be the 38th match in the history of the major teams of these two nations, and the last previous one dates back to about a year ago when England won 2-0 at the European Championships.
Form Guide
Germany WWWWDD
Germany’s previous Nations League game, which was against Italy, ended in a 1-1 tie.
Germany controlled the ball for 67 percent of the game and had 12 shots on goal, four of which were successful. Joshua Kimmich was the sole player to score for Germany, and his goal came in the 73rd minute. Italy had 11 shots on goal, but only two of them were successful. Italy’s goal was scored by Lorenzo Pellegrini (in the 70th minute).
The most recent findings of these tests demonstrate that a significant amount of effort has been put into the German defense. Germany’s defense has been strong, as evidenced by the fact that only three goals have been scored against them in the last six matches they’ve played.
England WDWWWW
After suffering a defeat in their most recent match in the Nations League competition against Hungary, England will be looking to make amends in this match.
During that game, England had 57 percent of possession and registered 12 shots on goal, with four of them finding the back of the net. On the other hand, Hungary had 11 shots on goal, with 6 of them landing in the correct net. Dominik Szoboszlai scored a goal for Hungary in the 66th minute.
In the previous six matches that England has participated in, the back of the net has been struck a total of 24 times, which works out to an average of four goals scored for each contest. This demonstrates the team’s preference for contests that produce a high number of goals. The teams in opposition each have three points from this total.
Injured and suspended
Germany: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
England: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
Germany vs England Predicted XI
Germany Predicted XI: Neuer; Kehrer, Sule, Rudiger, Raum; Gundogan, Kimmich; Gnabry, Muller, Musiala; Havertz.
England Predicted XI: Pickford; James, Stones, Maguire; Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Phillips, Saka; Sterling, Kane, Grealish.
Prediction
There are three points at stake, and this could exacerbate the dispute between the two teams that did not shine on their debut in the tournament.
Against this Germany team, we have the impression that it will be difficult for England to find the back of the net. On the other hand, we believe that Germany will be able to score at least one goal during their winning performance.
At the very end of the game, we’ve decided to give Germany a win by a score of 1-0.
Heavily beaten 1-4 at home by the Netherlands on matchday one of Group A4 of the 2022/2023 UEFA Nations League, Spain’s Belgium coach, Roberto Martinez, takes on Poland in the second match of the tournament. It will be played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels and, on the contrary, the Poles, coached by Czeslaw Michniewicz, started off on the right foot by beating Wales 2-1 at home.
Belgium, who had been on a 4-match streak, scored the flag goal only in the final with Michy Batshuayi, while Poland recovered the initial disadvantage and subverted the final result thanks to goals from Jakub Kaminski and Karol Swiderski. The last precedent between these two teams dates back to 2017, when Poland won 2-0 at home.
Form Guide
Belgium LWDDWL
After suffering a loss to the Netherlands in their previous Nations League match by a score of 1-4, Belgium will be looking to get back on track with a victory here.
During that game, Belgium controlled the ball for 50% of the time and had thirteen shots on goal, six of which were on target. Michy Batshuayi was the only player on the Belgium team to score (in the 90th minute). Their competitors from the Netherlands had 15 shots on goal, with 7 of them hitting the mark. Steven Bergwijn (40′), Memphis Depay (51′, 66′) and Denzel Dumfries (62′) scored for the Netherlands.
In recent years, games that feature Belgium have typically been spectacular, and fans can anticipate a lot of goalmouth action during these contests. Over the course of their previous six meetings, a total of 21 goals have been scored by both teams combined (which works out to an average of 3.5 goals per game), with Belgium being responsible for 11 of those goals.
Poland WWLDWW
Poland will go into the game having just finished their last game, which was a 2-1 win over Wales in the Nations League.
Poland controlled the ball for 55 percent of the time and had 15 shots on goal, three of which were successful. Both Jakub Kamiski (in the 72nd minute) and Karol Widerski (in the 85th minute) scored for Poland. Wales had 14 shots on goal, but they only managed to score twice. Jonny Williams scored the goal for Wales in the 52nd minute.
Poland has scored 11 goals for themselves throughout the course of their past six matches. Additionally, Poland have scored on each of those occasions when they’ve had the opportunity. During the course of those matches, they have allowed five goals to be scored into their own net.
Injured and suspended
Belgium: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
Poland: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
Belgium vs Poland Predicted XI
Belgium Predicted XI: Mignolet, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Boyata, Meunier, Tielemans, Dendoncker, De Bruyne, Carrasco, Mertens, Trossard.
Poland Predicted XI: Szczesny, Bereszynski, Bednarek, Glik, Puchacz, Klich, Krychowiak, Zalewski, Zielinski, Lewandowski, Swiderski.
Prediction
The challenge is to be played openly between two national teams who have excellent individuality and also well-established game plans. Belgium will try to make up for what happened in the last round, while Poland will try to keep the top spot in the group.
We are of the opinion that Belgium will, in all likelihood, have a lot of possession of the ball and quite a few possibilities to score goals, which they will take advantage of.
Poland, on the other hand, will have a difficult time acquiring shooting opportunities despite the fact that we anticipate them getting sufficient opportunities to score as well.
Because of this, we think that when the final horn sounds, Belgium will have a comfortable 3-1 lead over their opponents.
Portugal and the Czech Republic share the top of Group A2 of the UEFA Nations League with 4 points each, and in the next group match they will meet at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Fernando Santos’ Portuguese are returning from a clear 4-0 win against Switzerland in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, while the other goals were scored by Wiliam Carvalho and Joao Cancelo.
The Czech Republic, under coach Jaroslav Silhavy, scored a point thanks to a 2-2 home draw against Spain with goals from Jakub Pesek and Jan Kuchta, although there is regret because the second Spanish draw came in the final minutes. Lisbon will be the fourth match between Portugal and the Czech Republic.
Form Guide
Portugal DLWWDW
Following a 4-0 victory over Switzerland in the Nations League, Portugal will be hoping for a similar result in this game, as they won their last match.
During that game, Portugal held possession for 55% of the time and had 18 shots on goal, with 10 of them finding the target. The Portuguese players who scored goals were William Carvalho (15 minutes), Cristiano Ronaldo (35 and 39 minutes), and Joao Cancelo (68 minutes). On the other side of the field, Switzerland had five shots on goal, but just one of them was on target.
Their more recent scorelines actually do underline the notion that everything is going according to plan in the Portugal rearguard. Because Portugal have played so well defensively, the number of goals that have been scored against them in their last six matches—a total that stands at four—is the lowest it has been in almost a decade.
Czech Republic DWWLDW
Prior to it, the Czech Republic’s match against Spain in the Nations League ended in a 2-2 draw.
In that game, the Czech Republic had 21% of the possession and three shots on goal, two of which were successful. Both Jakub Peek (4′) and Jan Kuchta (66′) were able to find the back of the net for the Czech Republic. On the other end of the field, Spain had 13 shots on goal, with 5 of them landing on the correct target. Both Gavi (in the 45th minute) and Iago Martinez (in the 90th minute) scored for Spain.
The Czech Republic, which is coached by Jaroslav Ilhav, has scored a total of 9 goals over the course of their most recent six matches, which has resulted in an average of 1.5 goals scored per game for the Czech Republic.
Injured and suspended
Portugal: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
Czech Republic: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
Portugal vs Czech Republic Predicted XI
Portugal Predicted XI: Patrício, Cancelo, Pepe, Danilo, Mendes; Otávio, Carvalho, Neves; Ronaldo, Jota, Fernandes.
Czech Republic Predicted XI: Vaclik, Krejci, Zima, Brabec; Coufal, Soucek, Sadilek, Zeleny, Jankto, Kuchta, Hlozek.
Prediction
Portugal at home is a very difficult team to overcome, while the Czech Republic are in a good moment.
Portugal has the ability to stay in charge for long periods of time, and they should be able to take advantage of some of the chances they create for themselves.
On the other hand, the Czech Republic might have trouble scoring goals for themselves, but we don’t rule out the possibility that they could be deadly at times.
When all is said and done, our prediction is that Portugal will emerge victorious by a score of 3-1.
Switzerland and Spain need to catch up in UEFA Nations League Group A2 as they have 0 and 2 points respectively after the first two days. Murat Yakin’s Swiss are in their first home game as in the previous two matches they lost 2-1 away to the Czech Republic and 4-0 in Portugal.
Spain, on the other hand, had drawn 1-1 with Portugal at home. In their next game, against the Czech Republic in Prague, they couldn’t get past 2-2 because they were behind twice. They first scored with Gavi and then with Inigo Martinez.
It will be the 24th match between the two national teams, and against Switzerland, who so far have won only one match with the “La Furia Roja”.
Form Guide
Switzerland WDWLDL
Switzerland’s last Nations League game was a 4-0 loss to Portugal. In this match, they will try to do better than they did in their last game.
During that match, Switzerland held 45% of the possession and had five shots on goal, with only one of them being on target. The opposition, Portugal, had 18 shots on goal, with 10 of them landing in the target area. For Portugal, William Carvalho (15′), Cristiano Ronaldo (35′, 39′) and João Cancelo (68′) scored.
In their last six matches, Switzerland have not had any trouble finding the back of the goal, as they have scored every time they have taken the field.
During that time, they’ve come up with a total of 12 claims, but they’ve only given in on 6.
Spain LWWWWWD
In their last fixture, Spain drew 2-2 in the Nations League tie with the Czech Republic.
In that match, Spain had 79% possession and made 13 attempts on goal, with 5 on target. For Spain, the goalscorers were Gavi (45′) and Iñigo Martínez (90′). Czech Republic had three shots on goal, two of which were on target. Jakub Pešek (4′) and Jan Kuchta (66′) scored for the Czech Republic.
Over the course of their previous 6 outings, Spain have helped themselves to a total of 11 goals. Spain has also not failed to score on each one of those occasions. During that period, they have had 3 goals go into their own net.
Injured and suspended
Switzerland: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
Spain: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
Switzerland vs Spain Predicted XI
Switzerland Predicted XI: Sommer, Widmer, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez, Freuler, Xhaka, Steffen, Shaqiri, Vargas, Embol.
Spain Predicted XI: Simon, Carvajal, D. Llorente, P. Torres, Alba, Gavi, Rodri, Koke, F. Torres, Morata, Sarabia.
Prediction
Spain were the favorites according to bookmakers, but the odds have risen after the last two draws. Switzerland comes off two knockouts in a row, but they play at home and that will definitely help.
Against a Spain squad that should end up scoring and possibly keeping a clean sheet as well, we believe that Switzerland will need to perform very well in order to see themselves able to score.
So, we think that Spain will win the game with a score of 1-0 after a hard-fought match.