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Portugal and the Netherlands will meet on Sunday in the inaugural UEFA Nations League final.
The Netherlands made it to showpiece after a dramatic win over England on Thursday, when they won 3-1 after extra time, continuing their resurgence under the guidance of manager Ronald Koeman.
Standing in their way in the final will be Portugal, who will provide a massive challenge. Not only will they be well backed as the host nation, but they also have a red-hot Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line. The Juventus man grabbed a wonderful hat-trick in the semi-final win over Switzerland.
Read on for all the key details ahead of Sunday's showdown, including the latest odds on the game, the viewing information and a preview of what's to come.
Odds
Portugal win: 8-5
Draw: 23-10
Netherlands win: 21-10
Odds according to Oddschecker.
Date: Sunday, June 9
Time: 7:45 p.m. (UK), 2:45 p.m. (U.S.)
TV Info: Sky Sports Main Event (UK), ESPN (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), ESPN Player (U.S.)
Preview
Having failed to qualify for the previous two major tournaments, Dutch football was at a nadir. On the evidence of their performances in the Nations League, they are on their way back ahead of the UEFA European Championship in 2020.
In the win over England, they were not at their best for long spells. Still, there was a resilience among the players, as they fought back after Marcus Rashford's penalty and took the game away from the Three Lions in extra time.
The spirit of the side is something Koeman praised after the match via social media:
While the Netherlands have arguably the best defender in the world in their side in Virgil van Dijk, in Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, they also have two extraordinary prospects.
De Ligt made amends for an early error with the equalising goal against the Three Lions, while De Jong's midfield mastery was key in helping the Dutch apply pressure on the England defence. Bleacher Report's Dean Jones had high praise for the latter, who is moving to Barcelona this summer:
If they are going to be victorious on Sunday, they will need to find a way of containing Ronaldo, who dominated the Swiss defence in the semi-final.
The forward played with a sense of freedom, wandering around the final third and picking the ball up in some deeper positions.
However, as is so often the case with Portugal, he did his best work in front of goal. The 34-year-old scored a stunning free-kick in the first period, and after the Swiss had worked their way back into the game, he fired home twice in quick succession in the second half to kill the game.
Here's his first goal of the night:
Per OptaJoe, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United man has made a habit out of netting hat-tricks for club and country:
Van Dijk and De Ligt will have a job on their hands to stop Ronaldo, not to mention the myriad attacking players available to Portugal, with Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes also set to start the game.
While the Netherlands are dynamic, physical and technically gifted, Portugal are a tough nut to crack under Fernando Santos, and in Ronaldo, they possess the ultimate big-game player. In an edgy game, the home side will battle to victory.
Prediction: Portugal 2-1 Netherlands
Switzerland and England will look to move on from their UEFA Nations League semi-final disappointments in the competition's third-place play-off on Sunday.
The pair will go head-to-head at the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes, Portugal, where England lost 3-1 after extra time to the Netherlands on Thursday.
Switzerland had lost a day prior to hosts Portugal by the same scoreline inside 90 minutes.
Date: Sunday, June 9
Time: 2 p.m. BST, 9 a.m. ET
TV: Sky Sports (UK), ESPN2 (USA), Univision Deportes (USA)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), WatchESPN (USA), Univision Deportes En Vivo (USA)
Odds: Switzerland (7-2), England (11-10)
Odds courtesy of Oddschecker
England took the lead in their match thanks to a Marcus Rashford penalty, but after Matthijs de Ligt forced extra time with his header, calamitous errors from John Stones and Ross Barkley resulted in an own goal from Kyle Walker and a goal from Quincy Promes.
The Independent's Jack Pitt-Brooke saw parallels with the Three Lions' 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia, in which they went ahead but failed to build on their lead and eventually succumbed to pressure from their opponent:
Manager Gareth Southgate opted not to start those who had been involved in the UEFA Champions League final, but his chosen midfield of Declan Rice, Ross Barkley and Fabian Delph struggled to deal with counterparts Frenkie de Jong and Georginio Wijnaldum.
As for Switzerland, they were on the receiving end of a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick:
Portuguese football writer Tom Kundert felt the Swiss had been the better side, if not for Ronaldo's efforts:
Xherdan Shaqiri threatened throughout, and England will also need to be wary of Haris Seferovic, who contributed six goals and an assist in four Nations League group games to send Switzerland to the finals.
The Three Lions might have more presence in the centre of the park this time around if Southgate decides to use the likes of Jordan Henderson and Dele Alli from the start, though.
If they do, they might find it easier to get attacking stars Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane and Jadon Sancho involved, as there was little cohesion between the midfield and the front three against the Netherlands.
If England can provide more opportunities for their forward line, they should have the firepower necessary to see off Switzerland.
Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk has warned his team-mates not to focus solely on the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo when his side face Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final on Sunday.
The Dutch made it to the showpiece of the inaugural competition on Thursday, as they came from behind against England to win 3-1 after extra time. They will now be seeking to win the competition against the host nation.
If they are to be victorious, the Dutch will need to find a way to limit the influence of Ronaldo, who scored a brilliant hat-trick against Switzerland in Portugal's semi-final success. However, Van Dijk has said the Oranje must be wary of other threats their opponents possess, per Dejan Kalinic of Goal.
"We'll see," he said. "It's not only Cristiano Ronaldo we're going to face. We face a great Portugal. We will see what's going to happen. I'm looking forward to playing this final with this team, and we're going to give everything that we can to hopefully hold that trophy in the end and do everyone proud."
The match will be intriguing for a number of reasons, although the battle between Ronaldo and Van Dijk—arguably the best centre-forward and best defender in the game, respectively—will be a fascinating subplot:
While a number of players in the two semi-finals appeared a little jaded at the end of a long season, Ronaldo was incredibly sharp in the win over Switzerland.
He opened the scoring with a fantastic free-kick and then rounded off his hat-trick in trademark style in the second half:
In recent years, Ronaldo has has adapted his game to become more of a penalty-box player, but for Portugal he seems to have more freedom under manager Fernando Santos.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how the Dutch look to combat the Juventus star, as he roamed across the front line in the win over Switzerland. As a result, there may be spells in the game when Van Dijk and his defensive partner Matthijs de Ligt aren't directly up against the 34-year-old.
As Van Dijk notes, there are other quality operators in the Portugal team, with Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes all in the starting XI against the Swiss.
But as ESPN FC's Liam Twomey noted, those stars struggled to stamp their authority on the game in the semi-final:
In Van Dijk, the Netherlands have a player who is at the peak of his powers, having shone for Liverpool in their successful UEFA Champions League push. For his country, Van Dijk has developed into a tremendous leader since being handed the captain's armband too.
With talismanic figures in exceptional form on both sides, Sunday's final is set to be a treat. For Van Dijk, getting the better of Ronaldo in a high-profile game would be a fitting way to cap an exceptional season.
England boss Gareth Southgate defended John Stones and Ross Barkley after their errors gifted the Netherlands two goals in the Three Lions' 3-1 UEFA Nations League semi-final defeat on Thursday.
The scores were level at 1-1 after 90 minutes, and the pair gave the ball away on more than one occasion in extra time and were twice punished by the Dutch.
Per the Guardian's Dominic Fifield, Southgate came to the defence of his players and vowed to continue playing out from the back:
"I'm asking my defenders to play in a way that puts them under huge pressure at the back. If we didn't play that way, we wouldn't have got to the semi-finals we've got to in the last year, and we'd never progress to being a top team. But we made too many mistakes in our final third, partly as a result of their pressure but also by errors by us. When you're fatigued mistakes happen and the mistakes were from passes our players can play with no problem.
"I have to support John because he'll get horrible criticism for that mistake, but he and Harry Maguire take huge strain on their shoulders and are incredibly courageous to do that. We didn't lose because of how we want to play. The errors were uncharacteristic really, and not errors we'd normally make. It wasn't risk. It was poor execution and fatigue, certainly with the last one, because Ross had just gone down with cramp moments before."
The manager pointed out that while some of his players were suffering fatigue after a long season, others—such as Stones, who started just two matches for Manchester City from the start of April—were struggling for sharpness due to a lack of playing time.
"I have to support them in what is a difficult moment for everybody," he added. "This is incredibly painful for my players, but we'll be stronger for our experiences."
Marcus Rashford opened the scoring with a first-half penalty, but Matthijs de Ligt—who conceded the spot-kick—atoned for his earlier error by heading home the second-half equaliser.
Jesse Lingard thought he'd won it for the Three Lions when he finished off a neat counter-attack, but it was disallowed for offside after a VAR review.
In extra time, Kyle Walker conceded an own goal while attempting to prevent Quincy Promes from scoring, after Stones had given up possession to Memphis Depay on the edge of the area.
Barkley did the same soon after—having been done no favours by a pass from Stones—and Depay cut back for Promes to finish off:
Former footballer Adrian Clarke and football writer Tom McDermott were critical of the decision-making on show:
Making the right decision, particularly in the face of the opposition's press, is paramount when playing out from the back.
It's clear Stones especially still has room to improve in that regard, but he has shown under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City that he can play in such a system.
The Three Lions will face Switzerland in the third-place play-off on Sunday.
Southgate isn't going to change his approach, but despite his defence of Stones, it would come as little surprise if he were to take him out of the firing line for this match.
The Netherlands will face hosts Portugal in the final of the 2019 UEFA Nations League on Sunday after beating England 3-1 in Thursday's semi-final.
An own goal from Kyle Walker and Quincy Promes finding the net in extra time helped the Netherlands progress after Matthijs de Ligt headed an equaliser in response to Marcus Rashford's penalty for the Three Lions.
Portugal had already booked a place in the final after beating Switzerland 3-1 in the last four on Wednesday, thanks to a hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo. The Juventus star is in the right form to help his country win, but he won't find it easy to get past a formidable Netherlands defence.
Date: Sunday, June 9
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports Football. ESPN2.
Live Stream: Sky Go. Univision NOW.
While there is typical flair in forward areas, this Netherlands team relies more on a firm foundation at the back. De Ligt and Liverpool linchpin Virgil van Dijk are an intimidating pairing at the heart of defence, with the former recovering from some early gaffes against England.
The Ajax skipper gave away a penalty when he brought down Rashford, then struggled to cope with the movement of Borussia Dortmund forward Jadon Sancho.
De Ligt eventually recovered his poise to deny England chances and pose a considerable threat from set-pieces. His 73rd-minute header was the most emphatic example of the way the Netherlands can bully teams in the air.
The equaliser was a just reward for the way the Netherlands bossed possession. Ronald Koeman's team let play flow through midfield, where De Ligt's Ajax teammate Frenkie de Jong excelled:
De Jong and Liverpool's Georginio Wijnaldum ensure Koeman's men are rarely off the ball. Inspiration is added to the craft by Donny van de Beek.
The 22-year-old's timing and movement routinely give the Netherlands a man over in the final third. His energy and composure in front of goal can break down an experienced and well-drilled Portugal back four.
Defending Portugal demands keeping Ronaldo quiet. A hat-trick on his Nations League debut proved the 34-year-old is taking this tournament seriously.
Getting goals in threes has been a happy habit for Ronaldo when representing his country:
Reducing the lines of supply to Ronaldo presents two problems for the Netherlands. First, the prolific veteran doesn't need many chances to find the net, and he can convert from any type of supply.
The second problem is thwarting the many technicians Portugal can load the middle of the park with. Head coach Fernando Santos has skilled duo Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva pulling the strings.
Silva was the star of the show against Switzerland, as the Manchester City playmaker dominated every phase of the game:
Silva and Benfica star Joao Felix will move the ball quickly between the lines to feed Ronaldo's movement and the runs of Fernandes. Yet the Netherlands have the players at the back in De Ligt and Virgil van Dijk to blank Ronaldo and edge a close final.
Prediction: Portugal 1-2 Netherlands
The Football Association has condemned the behaviour of England fans who clashed with Portuguese police in Porto on Wednesday.
Bottles were thrown at Portuguese supporters watching their team beat Switzerland 3-1 in the first UEFA Nations League semi-final at a fan zone, as well as at police.
Per BBC Sport, a statement issued by the FA said:
"The FA strongly condemns the scenes witnessed in Porto overnight.
"Anyone responsible for these disturbances cannot be seen as true England supporters and are not welcome in football. They are an embarrassment to the team and the thousands of well-behaved fans who follow England in the right way."
The Guardian's Sean Ingle, Miguel Delaney of The Independent and the Telegraph's Sam Wallace shared footage of the trouble:
According to MailOnline's Shekhar Bhatia and Sebastian Murphy-Bates, three supporters were arrested on Wednesday amid the clashes. Offensive songs were also sung and a flare was lit by one fan.
It's said up to 20,000 fans have travelled to Porto ahead of England's Nations League semi-final with Netherlands on Thursday.
The match will be played at the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes, 30 miles from Porto. England fans have an allocation of 10,000 seats in the 26,000-capacity venue but have reportedly bought around 18,000 tickets.
The clashes have come a week after the FA launched a campaign urging travelling fans to behave:
BBC Sport's Dan Roan shared a statement issued by UK police, but Paul Hayward of the Telegraph felt it was insufficient:
The Times' Henry Winter called on UEFA and the FA to do more to prevent such incidents:
Per Bhatia and Murphy-Bates, UEFA sold thousands of tickets online to "unmonitored" Three Lions fans.
In March last year, more than 100 England supporters were arrested in Amsterdam after disturbances including thrown bottles when the Three Lions took on Netherlands in a friendly.
England were also hit with a warning by UEFA at the 2016 European Championship amid trouble with supporters.
Portugal manager Fernando Santos lauded Cristiano Ronaldo as a "genius" after he fired in a hat-trick to help the European champions beat Switzerland 3-1 on Wednesday in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals.
Ronaldo opened the scoring midway through the first half and bagged two late goals after Ricardo Rodriguez had pulled the Swiss level with a second-half penalty.
Per the Press Association (h/t MailOnline), Santos said:
"In terms of adjectives to describe Ronaldo's game—I have used many.
"I was his coach in 2003, and I could see where he would go. He is a genius. There is genius paintings and sculptures, and he is a football genius.
"When someone scores three goals, they are the difference-maker."
Ronaldo—who did not feature at all for Portugal in the group stage of the Nations League—made his first impact in the competition with a 25th-minute free-kick.
The Swiss equalised 11 minutes into the second half. Referee Felix Brych had initially awarded a spot-kick to Portugal after Bernardo Silva went down, but a VAR consultation resulted in him giving a penalty to Switzerland for a foul on Steven Zuber moments earlier.
A pair of clinical finishes from Ronaldo decided the game in the hosts' favour at the Estadio do Dragao:
As football writer Graham Ruthven observed, it was a typical performance from the Juventus forward, who had a quiet game before making the decisive contribution:
Sky Sports Statto put his hat-trick in context:
The goals took him to 88 for his country in 157 appearances.
Football writer Colin Millar believes he will be targeting Ali Daei's record:
Ronaldo's Portugal will take on either England or Netherlands at the same stadium on Sunday.
The Three Lions have built on reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, while the Oranje are enjoying a resurgence thanks to a new generation of talent, with the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt slotting in alongside more experienced stars such as Virgil van Dijk.
However, with Ronaldo in their side and on home soil, Portugal will fancy their chances against either opponent.
Raheem Sterling has said he was left "fuming" after a press release issued by his management company claimed the Manchester City winger would captain England against Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals.
Manager Gareth Southgate is planning to rest the seven players in his squad who featured in the UEFA Champions League final for Thursday's clash at Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes, Portugal.
That includes captain Harry Kane, who started for Tottenham Hotspur against Liverpool in Madrid last weekend for his first appearance in almost two months due to an ankle injury.
Resting Kane would open the door for Sterling to take the armband.
But the 24-year-old, who will earn his 50th England cap against the Dutch, said he apologised to Southgate after a press release sent out by Purple PR—a firm that works with his management company—revealed his appointment as skipper, per the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel:
"I couldn't tell you [why they sent it out]. I woke up this morning fuming. I had a conversation with Gareth. I hadn't had a conversation with anyone in my agency, so it was a strange one to wake up to. The first thing I did after I came off the phone to my agent was see Gareth down the hallway, and I apologised to him for what had happened. I don't know where that's come from."
Sterling deserves the captaincy after flourishing recently for both club and country.
He enjoyed a superb 2018-19 season with City, netting 17 goals and providing 10 assists as the Sky Blues retained the Premier League title. He was also named Player of the Year by the Football Writers' Association:
Meanwhile, for the Three Lions, has also found form by netting six goals in his last four international appearances.
In the absence of Kane, Sterling will be the key man for England, and the senior forward in an anticipated front line of him, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, per Paul Joyce in The Times.
England and the Netherlands are playing for a place in Sunday's inaugural Nations League final at Porto's Estadio do Dragao.
Hosts Portugal have already booked their spot in the final after a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired 3-1 victory over Switzerland on Wednesday:
Southgate will be taking a risk if he does leave out all Liverpool and Spurs players for Thursday, as Ronald Koeman's Dutch side is packed with quality.
But if the Three Lions can win without the likes of Kane, Dele Alli, Jordan Henderson and Danny Rose, it will be an impressive indication of England's squad depth.
The Netherlands and England meet in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League on Thursday, with both teams bidding for a place in the final against either Portugal or Switzerland.
Ronald Koeman's side impressed in qualifying as they topped a tough group containing Germany and world champions France.
England also overcame some quality opposition to make it through to the last four of the competition. The Three Lions beat Spain and 2018 FIFA World Cup finalists Croatia to secure their semi-final place.
Date: Thursday, June 6
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports Football (UK), ESPN2 (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Univision NOW (U.S.)
Match Odds (via Oddschecker): Netherlands 21-10, Draw 9-4, England 31-20
Match Preview
The Netherlands missed out qualification for the 2018 World Cup but have improved considerably under the management of Koeman and have a squad packed full of young talent.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk will continue his partnership with Ajax's Matthijs de Ligt in central defence and will form a tough barrier for the England attack.
Opta highlighted just how impressive the Reds star has been this season:
Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who will move to Barcelona in July, has also impressed this season and has built a fine relationship with Memphis Depay in attack:
Koeman told Ed Aarons at the Guardian that his team are on the road to recovery after some years in the doldrums but there is still work to be done:
"I am proud that I became national coach of Holland and even for the players it's the same. You are defending the colours of your country. Do everything to put Holland back in the big tournaments, because then you get the support of the fans and that’s really important. We start like that and that makes it now that we are on the way back. We are still not there where we want but we need time for that."
England are also a team going places as they proved by making it to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup for the first time since 1990.
Their dreams of winning their first major trophy since 1966 were ended by Croatia last summer, but they can make amends for that disappointment by winning the inaugural Nations League.
Captain Harry Kane is back from injury and started for Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final against Liverpool on Saturday but made little impact against Van Dijk's team.
England manager Gareth Southgate will have to decide whether to start his captain in such a crucial game, but he does have plenty of options, as noted by Henry Winter at The Times:
England will need to be at their best going forward if they are to find a way past an impressive Dutch defence in a game that looks set to be a close encounter between two well-matched teams.
