UEFA Nations League Matchday 2 preview: Players to watch, storylines to follow

Player spotlight

Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan (who can make his 50th France appearance in Brussels) and midfield colleague Adrien Rabiot could encounter their Belgian club-mate Diego Moreira on Matchday 2, with both sides seeking a second win, while Chelsea cohorts Roméo Lavia (Belgium) and Maxence Lacroix (France) may also meet.

France's Kylian Mbappé will be absent through injury, but Red Devils superstar Kevin De Bruyne showed in the Matchday 1 defeat of Italy that he is at his incisive best.

Memorable match: Belgium 1-2 France (Nations League)
Randal Kolo Muani's double inspired France to victory when they visited Belgium in the previous edition.

The backdrop

• France have won the last five games between these sides since the Red Devils prevailed 4-3 in a June 2015 friendly at the Stade de France. Belgium last beat their neighbours in Brussels in a 1981 World Cup qualifier, Alexandre Czerniatynski and Erwin Vandenbergh on target in a 2-0 win.
• Mika Godts opened the scoring as Belgium won 2-0 in Italy on Matchday 1, and while he was grateful for Kevin De Bruyne's "amazing" passes, he told UEFA: "We must remain humble."
• A half-time team talk during a 1-0 win in Türkiye gave France an idea of what they can expect from new boss Zinédine Zidane. As Jules Koundé said, "ZZ was very calm. He just told us to keep playing."

Player spotlight

Türkiye's defence has been shaped to a degree by Italy. As well as being marshalled by the national team's Italian boss Vincenzo Montella, Merih Demiral (Sassuolo, Juventus and Atalanta) and Zeki Çelik (signed from Roma by Juve this summer) have extensive Serie A experience.

Sandro Tonali will likely line up in Italy's midfield again, but the specifics of his role may change. Speaking in Sunday's press conference, Tonali said: "It doesn't matter which role I play in midfield, especially since the roles can change depending on the match."

Memorable match: Türkiye 0-3 Italy (EURO 2020 group stage)
Italy's road to UEFA EURO 2020 glory began with a confident win against Türkiye.

The backdrop

• Montella will look to lead Türkiye to a first win against the Azzurri, with whom he won 20 caps. They are yet to prevail in 13 games against Italy (D4 L9).
• "No matter who we face, we try to play our game," said a proud Montella after his side lost 1-0 to France on Matchday 1. "This match showed us that we can compete with anyone."
• A 2-0 home loss to Belgium was not an ideal start for Italy, but coach Roberto Mancini saw positive signs: "We were much better after the break."

Player spotlight

Czechia's foundations could be based on players currently playing their football in England – defender Ladislav Krejčí could return from injury to line up in front of either Lukáš Horníček or Antonín Kinský. Former West Ham stalwart Vladimír Coufal also brings experience, filling in for Krejčí as captain on Matchday 1.

Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Jordan Pickford were all starters in the England team which overcome Czechia 1-0 in the last meeting between the sides, a group stage match at EURO 2020.

The backdrop

• England's last visit to Prague brought defeat in a EURO 2020 qualifier, the hosts winning 2-1 despite Harry Kane giving the Three Lions an early lead.
• Czechia will have to turn their fortunes round in Prague too, though. Adam Karabec's goal was not enough to stop them sliding to a 2-1 defeat by Croatia on Matchday 1.
• England coach Thomas Tuchel rued missed chances and defensive lapses after his team's 3-2 opening match defeat by Spain. "We have to learn and keep going," he said. "We have to take what's positive and take the points back from Czechia."

Player spotlight

Dani Olmo spent several seasons with GNK Dinamo and made his debut for Spain while still playing for the Croatian club. Fabián Ruiz and Rodri were the midfield pairing, playing behind Olmo, when Spain edged out Croatia in the 2023 Nations League final.

Luka Modrić won a record six UEFA Champions League titles with Real Madrid and is still pulling the strings for Croatia at the age of 41 as he returns to Spain, while Joško Gvardiol and Mateo Kovačić will come up against former Manchester City stalwarts Aymeric Laporte and Rodri.

Memorable match: Croatia 0-0 Spain (aet, Spain win 5-4 on penalties, 2023 Nations League final)
Unai Simon made two shoot-out saves in Rotterdam as Luis de la Fuente won his first senior title as Spain coach.

The backdrop

• Croatia's last visit to Spain in this competition ended in a 6-0 loss in 2018.
• Marco Pašalić is looking forward to the visit of the world champions. "I think we have to be motivated with full focus mentally and physically. A lot of things are possible when you play as a team – you can win every game!" he said after Saturday's victory in Czechia.
• Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has supreme confidence in his side, however, as he stated after their 3-2 win over England: "There are many matches within a match and we've known how to play them all at every moment."