UEFA Nations League final four: Who is in it? When is it? Where does it take place?
Wednesday, 25 January 2023
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Hosts the Netherlands vs Croatia and Spain vs Italy are the semi-final ties that will open the 2023 UEFA Nations League finals.
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Who is in the 2023 Nations League finals?
Croatia, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands will contest the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League finals after topping their League A groups. Spain (2021) and the Netherlands (2019) were runners-up in the first two editions while Italy finished third two years ago. For Croatia, the tournament in June will be their first finals appearance.
What are the Nations League finals fixtures?
The draw to determine the semi-final pairings took place at 11:00 CET on Wednesday 25 January in Nyon, Switzerland.
Semi-finals
Wednesday 14 June: Netherlands vs Croatia (Rotterdam, 20:45 CET)
Thursday 15 June: Spain vs Italy (Enschede, 20:45 CET)
Match for third place
Sunday 18 June: Netherlands/Croatia vs Spain/Italy (Enschede, 15:00 CET)
Final
Sunday 18 June: Netherlands/Croatia vs Spain/Italy (Rotterdam, 20:45 CET)
Croatia
How they qualified
Not many gave Croatia much hope when they were thumped 3-0 at home by Austria in their opening Group A1 game. The outlook wasn't much improved by a 1-1 draw with France in Split, but Zlatko Dalić's charges then showed their mettle with two victories against Denmark sandwiching a fine 1-0 win in France. They then held their nerve in Austria to prevail 3-1 thanks to a pair of vital goals in the last 21 minutes. "In the end, the win was deserved," said captain Modrić. "I am very happy we are in the top four."
03/06/2022 Croatia 0-3 Austria
06/06/2022 Croatia 1-1 France
10/06/2022 Denmark 0-1 Croatia
13/06/2022 France 0-1 Croatia
22/09/2022 Croatia 2-1 Denmark
25/09/2022 Austria 1-3 Croatia
Tactics
Dalić is most comfortable using a 4-3-3 formation, occasionally switching to 4-2-3-1 – albeit with little difference between the two. The coach rotated a lot during the league phase, though he stuck with a midfield trio of Modrić, Mateo Kovačić and Marcelo Brozović, plus Ivan Perišić on the left. Elsewhere, Dalić experimented as he looked for solutions up front, on the right and in defence.
Key player
Even at 37, there is little doubt that everything still depends on the form of midfield maestro Modrić. Croatia's regal skipper still retains his magic and capacity to dictate matches, with his passes sprayed around with supreme intelligence and his feel for the game on a different level.
One to watch
Joško Gvardiol is one of the most sought-after defenders in the game following his outstanding displays at the FIFA World Cup. The Leipzig centre-back will be just 21 at these finals, but his reactions and maturity are already remarkable, especially when he is under pressure. The future of Croatia, he has emerged as a key pillar in Dalić's team.
Did you know?
With his opener against Austria on Matchday 6, Modrić became the only Croatia player to register more than one goal in their current Nations League campaign.
Italy
How they qualified
Paired with EURO 2020 final opponents England and Germany in a tough section, Roberto Mancini's side restored some pride following their shock loss to North Macedonia in the World Cup play-offs. A 5-2 defeat in Germany on Matchday 4 was a blow, but the Azzurri came good with back-to-back wins in September, Giacomo Raspadori scoring in both.
04/06/2022 Italy 1-1 Germany
07/06/2022 Italy 2-1 Hungary
11/06/2022 England 0-0 Italy
14/06/2022 Germany 5-2 Italy
23/09/2022 Italy 1-0 England
26/09/2022 Hungary 0-2 Italy
Tactics
In qualifying, Mancini mostly used the 4-3-3 formation which led the Azzurri to triumph at EURO 2020 but switched to a 3-5-2 for the final two games of the group stage, picking up wins and clean sheets against England and Hungary.
Key player
The Azzurri won their last two games in the group without the injured Marco Verratti but, when fit, the Paris midfielder gives Mancini's team crucial intensity, energy and technique.
One to watch
Raspadori scored in the September wins against England and Hungary. The Napoli forward will be 23 when the finals come around and could be the solution to Italy's attacking problems with his never-say-die attitude, creativity and lethal finishing.
Did you know?
In the decisive qualifying game against Hungary, Salernitana right-back Pasquale Mazzocchi became the 51st player to make his Italy debut under Mancini. Only Arrigo Sacchi (55) has had more debutants as Azzurri coach.
Netherlands
How they qualified
The only side to remain unbeaten through League A, the Netherlands started as they meant to go on by thumping neighbours Belgium 4-1 away. It was not plain sailing after that: the Oranje came from 2-0 down to draw with Poland, while both wins against Wales came courtesy of added-time goals. Yet the Dutch always found a way, and sealed their passage with a 1-0 defeat of Belgium in Amsterdam.
03/06/2022 Belgium 1-4 Netherlands
08/06/2022 Wales 1-2 Netherlands
11/06/2022 Netherlands 2-2 Poland
14/06/2022 Netherlands 3-2 Wales
22/09/2022 Poland 0-2 Netherlands
25/09/2022 Netherlands 1-0 Belgium
Tactics
A back three, wing-backs who are a vital element of the attack, a midfield diamond with the point in front, two strikers who are fast, mobile and almost impossible to pin down, and a team full of players who can comfortably interchange positions were all features of Louis van Gaal's outfit. Will Ronald Koeman, who took the reins following the World Cup, stick to that formula?
Key player
Virgil van Dijk is still the rock on which Dutch success is built. A colossus of a defender, a born leader, and occasional scorer of vital goals.
One to watch
Jurriën Timber. Van Dijk reckons the positionally smart, ball-playing 21-year-old Ajax defender is "much further in his development than I was at that age".
Did you know?
The Dutch had failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their matches in 2022 until Remko Pasveer took over in goal and proved unbeatable in the final two games.
Spain
How they qualified
It was an up-and-down qualifying campaign for Spain as they sealed their spot in a second consecutive finals. The 2021 runners-up struggled to build up momentum in the early games, with a couple of draws followed by a narrow win in Switzerland – who then condemned La Roja to a first home defeat since 2018. However, they showed character and resilience to secure a priceless win away to Portugal, Álvaro Morata hitting the winner in the dying minutes to seal a semi-final berth.
02/06/2022 Spain 1-1 Portugal
05/06/2022 Czechia 2-2 Spain
09/06/2022 Switzerland 0-1 Spain
12/06/2022 Spain 2-0 Czechia
24/09/2022 Spain 1-2 Switzerland
27/09/2022 Portugal 0-1 Spain
Tactics
This is a bit of an unknown as Luis de la Fuente only replaced Luis Enrique after Spain's early World Cup exit in December. His approach is perhaps more pragmatic than his predecessor's "everyone defends, everyone attacks" philosophy, playing to individual strengths. His 2019 U21 EURO winning team played a 4-2-3-1, his 2020 Olympics side was more of a 4-3-3 while it was a 4-1-4-1 in his only previous match in charge of the seniors.
Key player
Despite just being 20, Pedri – the Young Player of the Tournament at UEFA EURO 2020 – has become a mainstay for club and country. His influence is growing and he is often the key to Spain's attacking threat, having added goalscoring to his game of late.
One to watch
Luis Enrique had enormous faith in Ansu Fati and his successor will be desperate to see him fulfilling his potential after a string of injuries in recent seasons checked his progress. Expect the forward to become a regular once again for both Barcelona and Spain by the time these finals come round.
Did you know?
Gavi, who made his Spain debut in the semi-finals of the last Nations League in October 2021, became the country's youngest-ever scorer in this season's competition against Czechia aged 17 years 304 days, beating Ansu Fati's record from September 2020 by a week.
