UEFA Nations League & Euro 2020 Qualification

[Sniffer]

They are! Complaints about Marshall being off his line which have been turned down.

 

[Lupo]

Magnificent save by Marshall from Mitrovic, well done Scots!

 

[jd1981]

Real pain in the arse fixture for England next summer regardless of how good you think Scotland are they’ll always raise their game for England

 

[Tony Towner]

Friday night at Wembley

 

[Jolemai]

At least Cyber wont predict a former striker with the letter "E" in his surname scoring against us.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Confirmed groups then:

Group A: Italy, Turkey, Wales, Switzerland
Group B: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Russia
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic
Group E: Spain, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia
Group F: Portugal, France, Germany, Hungary

 

[AndyWolves]

ROI player Alan Browne tests positive for Covid 19.

He played the full 90 last night

 

[Jinky]

Confirmed groups then:

Group A: Italy, Turkey, Wales, Switzerland
Group B: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Russia
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic
Group E: Spain, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia
Group F: Portugal, France, Germany, Hungary

Fairly tough group for us, when you look at some of the others (group F being the exception, of course).

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Ah, we should walk it (should!).

Croatia are way past their best as a squad now, we put them away in the Nations League last year. Scotland will be game but they've only been picking up results against teams of around the same quality, they're very limited. We lost in Prague in what was pretty much a dead rubber but we also beat them 5-0 at Wembley.

Plus because UEFA don't know their arse from their elbow, you have a fair chance of going through in 3rd place if you win one game. Definitely if you get four points.

Group F is evil. #pray4Hungary (although they did draw vs Portugal at Euro 2016 and could even have won, would have knocked them out if they had)

 

[PuntsWolf]

Czech Republic are rubbish. Scotland are too but there the derby element. Croatia have always been better than the sum of their parts but their best parts are knocking on a bit.

I’d say only group C is definitely easier, the rest on a par or harder.

 

[Pompey Wolf]

Going to be one of those where it’s better to finish second again probably though. Group winners face runners up from group F (wouldn’t fancy us against any of those 3) whereas runners up face the runners up from group E (probably Poland but even if it’s Spain I’d rather that than the group F lot). I think if we win the group (and I think we will), we’re done in the round of 16.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think we could take Germany, they're still a bit of a mess under Löw who should have gone years ago. Defensively terrible.

Would not have us beating Portugal or France.

 

[PuntsWolf]

If the winners play the runners up. Who do the qualifying 3rd placed teams play? Surely best 1st places play 3rd places and then work back from there

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Looking at Euro 2016:

Slovakia vs Germany (1st)
Ireland vs France (1st)
Portugal vs Croatia (1st)
Northern Ireland vs Wales (1st)

So if they've messed around with that, I don't know why. Except it being UEFA.

Christ, 24 team tournaments are such an almighty mess. Don't do them. 8, 16 or 32. Very simple.

Edit: Italy had to play Spain (2nd) and Hungary played Belgium (2nd). They seem to have been the lowest scoring group winners (Italy on goal difference compared to the others who won a group with 6 points) but I don't know if that's just coincidence.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Having checked, looks like it just worked out that way (although it was accidentally the fairest, just about):

UEFA set out the following schedule for the round of 16:

• Match 1: Runners-up Group A vs Runners-up Group C
• Match 2: Winners Group D vs 3rd Place Group B/E/F
• Match 3: Winners Group B vs 3rd Place Group A/C/D
• Match 4: Winners Group F vs Runners-up Group E
• Match 5: Winners Group C vs 3rd Place Group A/B/F
• Match 6: Winners Group E vs Runners-up Group D
• Match 7: Winners Group A vs 3rd Place Group C/D/E
• Match 8: Runners-up Group B vs Runners-up Group F

Why not just sort it out when you know who has the best record? So we could win our group with three wins out of three and get a tougher draw than someone who didn't even win their group?

Winds me up.

 

[Pompey Wolf]

It’s an almighty mess isn’t it. We could finish third (although that wouldn’t have looked pretty) and get an easier draw (winners of group A - Italy/Switzerland?) than winning the group and playing Portugal (don’t make me choose!)

 

[Paul]

You could always have a draw for which group plays which ?

 

[jd1981]

It is a mess this format means you’re playing 36 matches to eliminate just 8 teams.

 

[pavlosmacwolf]

Not sure where else to say this, but with the critical state of corona in Europe as a whole.... Should we be gathering players from all over a lockdown country, and then sending them into a lockdowned country for a fucking FRIENDLY????
International football , let alone friendlies should be binned for the duration of the European lockdowns at least.
Cody got it, Saga got it, and how many others are going to be bringing back a non wanted prezzie to their team mates and coaches.
Fucking mental in my humble opinion, and just for paddy, without cypro, we are in 24 hour lockdown here.

 

[Kenny]

Cody got it,

Nope. Well Coady did have it but that was back in March.
He is out because he came into close contact with someone who does have it, before he left for the England duty. He has tested twice for England and both were negative.