UEFA Nations League: What to look out for on Matchday 4

The third edition of the UEFA Nations League is well under way, with three matchdays played and three more to come ahead of the finals in June 2023. UEFA.com assesses the lie of the land ahead of the Matchday 4 encounters.

Sunday 12 June
Group A2 Spain 2-0 Czech Republic
Group A2 Switzerland 1-0 Portugal
Group B4 Norway 3-2 Sweden
Group B4 Slovenia 2-2 Serbia 
Group C2 Northern Ireland 2-2 Cyprus
Group C2 Greece 2-0 Kosovo
Group C4 Georgia 0-0 Bulgaria
Group C4 North Macedonia 4-0 Gibraltar
Group D2 Malta 1-0 San Marino

Monday 13 June
Group A1 Denmark 2-0 Austria 
Group A1 France 0-1 Croatia
Group B2 Iceland 2-2 Israel 
Group B2 Russia (suspended until further notice) vs Albania
Group C3 Kazakhstan 1-0 Slovakia
Group C3 Azerbaijan 2-0 Belarus

Tuesday 14 June
Group A3 England vs Hungary 
Group A3 Germany vs Italy
Group A4 Netherlands vs Wales 
Group A4 Poland vs Belgium 
Group B1 Armenia vs Scotland (18:00)
Group B1 Ukraine vs Republic of Ireland 
Group B3 Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Finland 
Group B3 Romania vs Montenegro
Group C1 Luxembourg vs Faroe Islands 
Group C1 Türkiye vs Lithuania 
Group D1 Moldova vs Andorra (18:00)
Group D1 Liechtenstein vs Latvia

All kick-off times 20:45 CET unless stated

Dutch aim to get within striking range of finals

It is a measure of how competitive the top tier of the UEFA Nations League is that no side reached the halfway point with maximum points, though the Netherlands came very close, Memphis Depay striking a late penalty against a post as his side were held to a 2-2 draw by Poland. "Everything we learned today we will take with us to the next match," midfielder Denzel Dumfries told UEFA.com with a shrug.

Up against a Wales side that have the lowest tally in League A (just one point so far), Louis van Gaal's side have a chance to move on to ten points. Should Poland hold Belgium in the other match in their section, that would leave the Oranje five points clear at the top of the section, and within sight of becoming the first team to qualify for a second UEFA Nations League final tournament (no one side featured in both of the first two editions).

England chasing first win

Denied a first win by Italy last time out, England must avenge a defeat against Hungary in their opening game in Budapest if they are to register their first victory in an intensely competitive Group A3. "With England, you're going to be judged and you have got to win every match," said manager Gareth Southgate, but he is not the only boss finding wins hard to come by: England's Group A3 rivals Germany have drawn all three of their fixtures so far and France are yet to win in Group A1.

Haaland leading top scorer race

"I’m speechless," beamed Erling Haaland after scoring twice in Norway's second defeat of neighbours Sweden in Group B4. "It's the first time I've played for a sold-out Ullevaal. And to win against Sweden in the last match of the season – it’s beautiful." To make a good thing slightly better, those two finishes moved the new Manchester City signing top of the Alipay Top Scorer rankings with five so far.

Second in the rankings with four goals from three games, Türkiye's Serdar Dursun will hope he can at least get back on terms with Haaland as his side welcome point-less Lithuania on Tuesday.

Even Haaland's record of 20 goals in 21 Norway games cannot match the Fenerbahçe man's seven in seven for Türkiye since making his debut (aged 29) in October 2021. "Wearing the Crescent-Star jersey is the dream of every Turkish football player," he said. Dursun did a perfect rendition of Cristiano Ronaldo's goal celebration to mark a finish against the Faroe Islands on Matchday 1; if he plans to keep scoring at this rate, he may want to work on a hallmark celebration of his own.

Further ahead?

• The UEFA Nations League will have its own summer holidays in July and August, before the postponed Matchday 1 game between Scotland and Ukraine on Wednesday 21 September. The early kick-off between Kazakhstan and Belarus on Thursday 22 September marks the start of Matchday 5, Italy's home game against England perhaps the biggest tie.

• Matchday 6 runs from Sunday 25 to Tuesday 27 September, after which the relegation and promotion matters will be largely decided for each league. The top sides in each of the four League A sections will also be confirmed in the finals, which will take place in June 2023.

Key dates

Matchdays 3 & 4: 9–14 June 2022
Matchdays 5 & 6: 22–27 September 2022
Finals draw: tbc
Semi-finals: 14 & 15 June 2023
Final & third-place match: 18 June 2023
Play-outs: 21–23 & 24–26 March 2024