UEFA Nations League

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Newbury Weekly News

Where are the games played? WITH the finals being pla yed in Portugal this summer, two stadiums have been selected. Porto’s Estádio do Dra gão and the Estádio D Af onso Henriques in Guimaraes will host tw o games each. The stadium in Porto will enter tain Portugal against Switzerland on June 5, while England ’s clash against Netherlands will be played a day later in Guimaraes. The winners of both semi-finals will then meet in P orto on June 9 and the runners-up will f ace off in a third/fourth play-off in Guimaraes on the same day. Italy and Poland also sent a bid in to host the inaugural finals , but with Portugal winning their r espective group, they were selected. Estádio do Dra gão, home of Portuguese side FC Porto, holds 50,083 and is also the home f or the national team. The Estádio D Af onso Henriques , home of Vitoria SC holds 30,000 and hosted a Nations League game between Portugal and Poland in November 2018.

Harry Kane will captain England

The Three Lions on the team sheet ENGLAND mana ger Gareth Southgate has named a 27-man squad as Eng land step up their preparations for the summer ’s Nations League finals. However, the squad will be cut bac k to 23 before the Three Lions fly out to Portugal ahead of their c lash with Netherlands in Guimaraes on J une 6. Although training has star ted with most of the England squad, some members are yet to report for duty due to being in FA Cup, Europa League and Champions Lea gue action. Manchester City’s English par ty have recently joined the squad, having been in FA Cup action against Watford on May 18. But Chelsea’s Ross Barkley competed in the Eur opa League Final, while the Spurs and Li verpool players remain absent as they f ace each other in the Champions Lea gue final on Saturday night . It’s a strong England team, with the majority featuring in last summer ’s World Cup, so experience isn’t short. The 27-man squad Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Jack Butland (Stoke City). Defenders: Kyle Walker (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Trent Alexan- der-Arnold (Liverpool), Michael Keane (Ever- ton), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Ben Chilwell (Leicester City), Danny Rose (Totten- ham Hotspur), Joe Gomez (Liverpool). Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Ross Barkley (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham United), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Raheem Ster - ling (Manchester City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool). Forwards: Callum Wilson (AFC Bournemouth), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United).

The Estádio do Dragão in Porto will host a semi-final and the final

Opposition in focus Portugal, Netherlands and Switzerland will all be competing for the Nations League trophy

AS the finals are taking place in P ortugal, it’s only fair that we start with them. And where else to look than with ca ptain and leading talis- man, Cristiano Ronaldo. The 34-year-old has recently been crowned Serie A player of the year, in his debut season with Juventus, having helped them to lea gue success once mor e, scoring 28 goals in all competitions . Upcoming star Joao Felix, from Benfica, has been selected and players like Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias and Pepe will also feature. The Netherlands have turned a corner in recent years and are ready to compete amongst the best a gain. Led by Virgil van Dijk as captain – who has been a leading figure for Liverpool this season – the Dutch will be a tough task for England. Former Manchester United f orward Memphis De pay and Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt will also ha ve pivotal roles. Switzerland were a surprise name in the finals , but don’t take them for granted. A 5-2 win against Belgium last y ear cemented their place in the finals and with pla yers such as Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, they ’ll be a tough team to br eak down.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be the key man for Portugal in the finals

Southgate you’re the one... GARETH Southg ate was recently appointed the OBE f or his services to f oot- ball in England – which saw the country reac h the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup in Russia. The 48-year-old has spent almost six-y ears in the set-up, firstly starting off as the under-21s manager in August 2013. After Sam Allar dyce resigning from the senior team in 2016, Southg ate went on to lead the Three Lions for part of their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. Wins against Scotland and Malta and dra ws against Spain and Slo venia followed and in November 2016, Southg ate was offered a four-year-contract by the Football Associ - ation. The Three Lions qualified f or the summer tour nament with ease and did better than expected in Russia. Having spent a number of years with the younger groups in England, Southg ate has put his faith in youth bringing the lik es of Jadon Sancho, Ben Chillwell, Joe Gomez and Declan Rice into the set-up . It’s an exciting time to be an England f an. The players have certainly bought into the way that Southgate wants to play and that is fast and free-flowing attacking football. England have certainly struggled with results and previous tournaments in the past, but these past few months have got supporters dreaming of success.

Gareth Southgate has been a joy for England

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