Who: Portugal vs. Germany
What: UEFA Nations League semifinal
When: Wednesday
Where: Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany
How to follow our coverage on Al Jazeera Sport starting at 6 p.m. (12:00 GMT)?
In the first of the UEFA Nations League semifinals, hosts Germany and Portugal square off against the 2019 inaugural winners.
With their match taking place on Thursday in Stuttgart, holders Spain and France will play in a second tie.
Al Jazeera Sport examines the results of the first game and determines its own position:
The UEFA Nations League is what?
International matches played outside of the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships were given more weight by the competition.
Countries now compete in a structured format that culminates in a nation being declared the winners of the Nations League instead of a flow of international friendlies that had lost the respect of both players and fans.
Does winning the Nations League qualify for the World Cup?
The top two of their qualifying groups for the World Cup in Europe will win the FIFA World Cup without any further delay.
An additional chance of winning the world’s showpiece event is then awarded to the four Nations League teams with the highest placing teams that did not finish in the top two of their qualifying groups for the World Cup.
In the event that their official World Cup qualifying campaign fails, it will serve as an additional incentive for all teams.
The Nations League’s organizational structure
League A of the Nations League has four groups, four of which are League B and four of whom are League C.
The competition’s quarterfinals stage begins with the top two teams from each of the League A groups. To encourage all teams in their international match-ups and give everyone a chance to reach the final and win the trophy, League A leaders League B and C are attempting to advance to League A.
Cristiano Ronaldo wants to win the #NationsLeague title in a photo. twitter.com/VMzf5JFEMA
Who were Germany and Portugal’s quarterfinal winners?
In their final-eighteen encounter over two legs, Germany defeated Italy 5-4 to finish top of Group 3 in League A.
In their quarterfinale, Portugal, who finished first overall, defeated Denmark 5-3 on aggregate.
In the six-game group stage, which ended in November, neither side lost.
What has Ronaldo’s most recent status been?
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his immediate immediate club future, which looks likely to lead to a participation in FIFA’s Club World Cup this month, Cristiano Ronaldo will start the semifinal match for Portugal.
On the final day of the Saudi Pro League, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star announced that Al Nassr, a top-flight team from Saudi Arabia, had ended his association with them.
Prior to the announcement, FIFA President Gianni Infantino had already revealed that Ronaldo was in talks to join one of the teams competing in the American competition.
The 40-year-old’s stellar performance in the Nations League semifinal and eventual final would significantly raise the stakes for his next move and his potential late arrival as a Club World Cup headline act.
In the inaugural final, Portugal defeated who?
In the 2019 final, Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1-0.
The Portuguese won the game on their own soil at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao, and Goncalo Guedes scored the only goal of the match in the 60th minute.
What were the managers’ statements in the lead-up to the semi-final?
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann: “The goal is to win the Nations League.” It’s very important for us as a group to perform, deliver results, and win titles. Spain’s victory at Euro 2024 demonstrated how crucial this event can be. I can see motivation and excitement when I look at our players’ faces. The atmosphere in the stadium is exciting to me.
There is nothing better than winning trophies in international football, according to Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, who says there aren’t many opportunities for them. The fact that we are here and that the last four must be where we are is crucial. This team has shown a lot of resilience over the past two and a half years, and facing teams like Germany, followed by perhaps Spain, or France, is a great opportunity to continue their World Cup preparation.
Head-to-head
The two countries will have met for the 12th time this time. Portugal has won once, while Germany has won seven of those games.
The last five matches between the Germans and FIFA World Cups or UEFA European Championships were all against the Germans.
Sergio Conceicao scored all three goals in Portugal’s 3-0 victory over the then-champions in the group stage of Euro 2000, which was their final victory.
Since then, the Germans have vowed to retaliate heavily against the Portuguese, winning 4-2 in their final Euro 2020 matchup.
Where will the Nations League Championship match take place?
The first semifinal will also take place on Sunday at the Allianz Arena, which is also home to the first semifinal.
News from the Germany team
Out: Amiri, Bisseck, Havertz, Henrichs, Kleindienst, Musiala, Rudiger, Schlotterbeck, Stiller,
Germany are dealing with a number of injuries, but they do welcome back Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who was sidelined for a while.
One of the key questions will be who will replace Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala in midfield, but Antonio Rudiger’s departure and Kai Harvertz’s absence will also be significant.
news from the Portugal team
Cancelo, out
Portugal’s almost fully fit squad is bolstered by Al Hilal defender Joao Cancelo, who will fill a void.
Possible lineups for Portugal and Germany:
Possible Germany XI: ter Stegen, Kimmich, Tah, Koch, Raum, Goretzka, Gross, Adeyemi, Wirtz, Sane, Fullkrug
Source: Aljazeera
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