Scotland v Israel, Romania v Northern Ireland: Nations League – live!
04-Sep-2020 17:56:10 | Guardian
Pre-match reading
In case you missed it: Lionel Messi is staying at Barcelona, for now.
Related: Lionel Messi confirms he will stay at Barcelona 'to avoid legal dispute'
Scotland v Israel team news
Lyndon Dykes, QPR’s Australian-born forward, makes his debut for Scotland.
Romania v Northern Ireland team news
Romania (4-3-1-2) Tatarusanu; Hanca, Chiriches, Tosca, Bancu; Stanciu, Cicaldau, Maxim; Hagi; Puscas, Alibec.
Netherlands v Poland team news
Netherlands (4-3-3) Cillessen; Hateboer, Veltman, van Dijk, Ake; De Roon, Wijnaldum, de Jong; Bergwijn, Depay, Promes.
Italy v Bosnia and Herzegovina team news
Italy (4-3-3) Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Acerbi, Biraghi; Pellegrini, Sensi, Barella; Chiesa, Belotti, Insigne.
Hot damn, it’s the Nations League Matchday 1 part two! I don’t know about you, but I’m warming to this tournament. Sure, I don’t have a clue how it relates to World Cup qualification, and it doesn’t feel essential to the morale of society right now. But the basic idea - promotion and relegation in international football - is pretty exciting. And the whole thing feels a lot better with groups of four rather than three.
The main advantage of the divisional structure is that it means a lot more competitive matches than, say, the European Championship qualifiers. Almost all of the teams are playing their peers and thus have a realistic chance of getting a result, which surely beats being spanked 12-0 by Belgium. Last night’s opening round of fixtures bear that out - there were ten games, only one with more than a single goal between the sides.
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