The next international break is upon us folks and there are some great clashes to look forward to, with the best players on the planet on show.
There are three big European games I’m taking a look at and we even have a blockbuster World Cup 2026 qualifier to watch as the South American CONMEBOL league enters its third round.
Take a look at these four matches with me:
Tuesday 17th – England vs Italy: Euro qualifying
There’s yet another replay of the 2020 Euro Final coming up next week when England take on Italy at Wembley. Back in March Gareth Southgate’s men won 2-1 in Italy and another positive win for the Three Lions will confirm their superiority in Group C, which they lead on 13 points. The Azzurri have seven points, alongside Ukraine and North Macedonia, but with a game in hand and they have control of their own destiny.
Lose on Tuesday and Italy could be in serious doubt of keeping hold of that second place. But they will face some incredible players in the England team, captained by FC Bayern star Harry Kane. The former Spurs striker has started brilliantly in Bavaria and his England team-mate Jude Bellingham is breaking records at Real Madrid, scoring ten goals in his first ten games. Add in the breath-taking talents of Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Manchester City’s Phil Foden and you have a creative unit as good as any.
Luciano Spalletti’s Italy beat Ukraine 2-1 in September and, skippered by PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, they will be hard to break down at Wembley. Francesco Acerbi provides the steel at centre back with Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali sitting in front of the defence. Inter Milan’s Nicola Barella will carry the creative threat alongside Juventus’ Federico Chiesa.
Thursday 12th – Colombia vs Uruguay: World Cup qualifying for 2026
Over in South America two World Cup heavyweights are due to battle it out on Thursday as Colombia host Uruguay. These proud nations sit third and fourth in the CONMEBOL League after two rounds, with Brazil and Argentina leading the way as the only two nations with six points.
Uruguay are managed by Marcelo Bielsa and La Celeste started by beating Chile 3-1 but then they lost 2-1 to Ecuador. Look out for two players in the Uruguay team which is captained by Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde and the attack is spearheaded by Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.
La Tricolor beat Venezuela 1-0 then played out a goalless draw with Chile and they will have former Spurs defender Davinson Sachez, now with Galatasaray, at the heart of a robust defence. Liverpool’s Luis Diaz was in the Premier League 2023 news when his perfectly good goal against Tottenham was ruled out by a VAR mess-up and he will lead the Colombia attack. The hosts are the favourites to win this game at SBOTOP odds of 1.96, with Uruguay at 3.20 and the draw is at 3.06.
Friday 13th – Austria vs Belgium: Euro qualifying
The Group F joint leaders, with 13 from 5 games, Austria and Belgium will meet at the Ernst-Happel Stadion in a group decider. Austria are at odds of 2.26 to win this game, which would be a nightmare on Friday 13th for the Red Devils!
The battle for midfield will be interesting with Borussia Dortmund’s ace Marcel Sabitzer and Red Bull Leipzig’s Christoph Baumgartner lining up for Austria while the Red Devils are without the influential Kevin De Bruyne. Belgium are still the second ranked side in the world, but without the City man they are less of a threat going forward, with much of the responsibility falling on Yannick Carrasco, now in the Saudi Pro League. The visitors do have two superb strikers in their ranks with Man City’s livewire Jeremy Doku stepping up alongside the prolific Romelu Lukaku, now at Roma.
Sunday 15th – Norway vs Spain: Euro qualifying
Norway and Spain are in third and second places in Group A with Scotland heading the group. Spain have a game in hand with nine points from four and the Euro 2024 betting odds make La Roja one of the nations most likely to lift the trophy next year. This is a young team but with some players in their prime; including Athletic Club’s keeper Unai Simon, defender Pau Torres now at Aston Villa and Manchester City’s Rodri, probably the best defensive midfielder in world football currently.
Up front Spain have a proven striker with Alvaro Morata leading the attack with 33 goals from 66 internationals. But Norway have a scoring machine in their ranks in Erling Braut Haaland, who drew a rare blank in Manchester City’s match with Arsenal on Sunday. Other Norway players to watch are Borussia Dortmund’s in form wing back Julian Ryerson and Burnley’s powerful midfielder Sander Berge.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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