UEFA Nations League Matchday 2 Preview: Belgium vs France, Spain vs Croatia and More

Matchday 2 of the UEFA Nations League has already delivered a few surprises. Greece beat Germany for the first time in their history, Portugal got past Norway, while the Netherlands took all three points in Serbia.

But some of the biggest fixtures of the round are still to come.

On 28 and 29 September, Belgium face France, Spain take on Croatia, Türkiye meet Italy, and several other games could already tell us plenty about the form of Europe’s heavyweights.

888STARZ takes a closer look at the biggest matches over the next two days.

Belgium vs France: the first serious test for both sides

Both teams opened the tournament with a win.

Belgium produced an impressive 2–0 victory over Italy in Rome. France needed just one Kylian Mbappé goal to leave Istanbul with all three points.

Now the level of opposition goes up sharply.

Belgium face a side that can punish any space left in transition. France, meanwhile, are up against a team that gave Italy almost nothing in the opening round.

This could be the first game to give us a real idea of where Group A1 is heading.

888STARZ offers odds of 1.83 on France to win.

Türkiye vs Italy: a second defeat would already hurt

Both teams started with a loss, although those defeats looked very different.

Türkiye lost just 1–0 to France and stayed in the contest for most of the night. Italy had a much tougher time against Belgium and went down 2–0 at home.

That puts even more pressure on the Italians ahead of Matchday 2.

Drop points again and a poor start quickly becomes a serious problem.

For Türkiye, this may be the perfect time to face an opponent still searching for its rhythm.

888STARZ offers odds of 2.44 on Italy to win.

Sweden vs Poland: Gyökeres and Isak against Lewandowski

Sweden currently have something many European teams would love to possess: two elite forwards in the same attack.

Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak can keep any defence busy, and Sweden have already started the campaign with a 2–1 win over Romania.

Poland’s opener was far quieter — a goalless draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The main question is straightforward: can Poland’s defence handle Sweden’s attacking duo, and can Robert Lewandowski finally get enough service at the other end?

888STARZ offers odds of 1.98 on Sweden to win.

Spain vs Croatia: this rivalry already has history

Spain have once again started a tournament at full speed.

They beat England 3–2 at Wembley in the opening round. Croatia also collected three points with an away win over Czechia.

But this fixture is about more than current form.

Spain beat Croatia 3–0 at EURO 2024. A year earlier, the same two teams met in the Nations League final, where Spain lifted the trophy after a penalty shootout.

Croatia know very well how difficult Spain have become for them in recent years.

Now Luka Modrić and company get another chance to change that story.

888STARZ offers odds of 1.20 on Spain to win.

Czechia vs England: no room to hide behind a good performance

England played arguably the most entertaining game of the opening round — and still came away with nothing.

The 3–2 defeat to Spain showed both sides of this team: England can create chances against anyone, but defensive mistakes can still cost them heavily.

Czechia also began with a defeat, losing 2–1 to Croatia.

So this is no longer about taking positives from Matchday 1. Both teams need points.

For England especially, another setback would immediately increase the pressure ahead of the next fixtures.

888STARZ offers odds of 1.34 on England to win.

Key matches on 28–29 September

Matchday 2 is only gathering pace, but several teams are already under pressure.

France, Belgium, Spain and Croatia can build on perfect starts. Italy, Türkiye, England and Czechia need an immediate response after defeat.

That is exactly why the next two days promise far more than a routine September international break.