The draw for the UEFA Nations League 2022-2023 was held and in the Red group are Portugal, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Spain, current runner-up, will have as its main threat the Portugal by Cristiano Ronaldo in group 2 of the first category of the UEFA Nations League 2022-2023, which complete Switzerland and Czech Republic, according to the draw carried out this Thursday.
The Portuguese star of Manchester United will therefore be the great rival of the Roja in a competition that the Spanish have never won.
Portugal was the winner of the League of Nations in its first edition, in 2019.
France, defending champion after winning the second edition last October, will have as opponents in group 1 a Denmark, Croatia and Austria.
“I have a lot of respect for all countries,” declared the France coach in Nice, Didier Deschamps, to various media, including the AFP. He admitted however that the result of the draw “could have been worse.”
“Beyond that, this allows us to have adversaries with different profiles. That, thinking about the World Cup, is interesting ”, he added.
In the 4 they will be measured Belgium, Holland, Poland and Wales, while the 3 gave up the ‘Group of Death’, uniting Italy, Germany, England and Hungary.
In that key, the final of the last European Championship will be reissued, in which last July the Italians beat the English on penalties at Wembley (3-2 in the shootout, after a 1-1 draw) .
“A nice group”
“It’s a nice group, against England, Germany and Hungary. It will be a very fun group for sure ”, said the Italian coach, Roberto Mancini, to the UEFA microphones.
“We are going to try (be leaders). We would like to play the Final 4 again, as we did this year ”, he pointed out.
Germany will have for its part an account to settle with England, which eliminated them in the round of 16 (2-0) of that European Championship.
The Germans will also seek revenge against Hungary, with which they drew 2-2 in the group stage of that European Championship, which prevented them from being leaders.
Another of the most anticipated pulses of the new Nations league will be that of Belgium vs. Holland, a confrontation between two neighbors who are not measured in official competition from the World Cup in France-1998 (0-0).
The first matches of the group stage are scheduled for June 2022.
The group stage duels will also serve the European powers to prepare for the Qatar World Cup, which will be held in November and December of next year.
The leaders of each group of the first category will qualify for the Final to 4, which with a format of semifinals and final in the same place will decide the champion in June 2023. (D)
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