Scaloni focuses on the Nations League semi-finals: Germany vs. Portugal and Spain vs. France, Argentina's direct enemies.

Four of the top ten national teams in the world , according to the oft-discussed FIFA Rankings , and the three champions of this tournament in its three previous editions will converge in Germany these days to compete in the final phase of the European Nations League . The host country and Portugal face each other this Wednesday at 4:00 PM (Argentine time) at the Allianz Arena in Munich in the first semifinal, while Spain and France will host the other match on Thursday at the same time at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN and the Disney+ platform.

For Germany, this will be the opportunity not only to play in the decisive round of this competition for the first time, but also to end a run of disappointments at major tournaments that has dogged them since the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where they failed to get past the group stage. They repeated the frustrating experience at Qatar 2022, were eliminated in the round of 16 at Euro 2020 and in the quarter-finals of last year's tournament. They had never made it to the Final Four of the Nations League in the three previous editions .

After their defeat to Spain in the quarter-finals of last year's European Championship, Julian Nagelsmann's side never lost again . They finished top of Group 3 of this Nations League (sharing the same group as the Netherlands, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina) and eliminated Italy in the quarter-finals. They won 2-1 in Milan in the first leg and drew 3-3 (after squandering a 3-0 first-half lead) in the second leg in Dortmund.

The Mannschaft will have the support of its fans, although some of its most important players will be absent: Antonio Rüdiger , Nico Schlotterbeck , Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala were not called up due to injuries. In addition to those absences, defender Yann Aurel Bisseck was recently injured. He suffered a left thigh injury during his team's Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.

Nagelsmann, who has been in charge of the national team since September 2023 (he replaced Hansi Flick), will again have goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen, midfielder Florian Wirtz and striker Niclas Füllkrug at his disposal, all of whom have recovered from the injuries that kept them out of the match against Italy in March.

“When I look at our players' faces, I see motivation and excitement,” said Nagelsmann, who praised his upcoming opponent: “Portugal is a very good team, with many very good players, and a very, very good coach. It will certainly be a difficult match.”

Portugal has already experienced the joy of lifting the Nations League trophy, having won the tournament's inaugural edition in 2019 (defeating the Netherlands 1-0 with a goal from Gonçalo Guedes in the final played in Porto). They reached their second Final Four after winning Group A (overcoming Croatia, Scotland, and Poland) and a difficult defeat to Denmark in the quarterfinals. They lost 1-0 in Copenhagen, won 3-2 in the 90 minutes in Lisbon, and ended up celebrating in extra time thanks to goals from Francisco Trincão and Gonçalo Ramos.

In charge of the team since January 2023, following the elimination in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, the Spaniard Roberto Martínez has put together a squad in which young players such as Gonçalo Inácio , Nuno Mendes and João Neves have been coupled with those of the intermediate generation, such as Rúben Dias , Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes , and the tireless Cristiano Ronaldo .

The 40-year-old star is the player who has played the most matches (219) and scored the most goals (136) in the history of men's international football . But CR7, who has not yet decided which club he will continue his career with (his contract with Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr expires at the end of the month) , is not just a member of the past: he scored five goals in the group stage and one in the second leg against Denmark to lead his team to this Final Four.

Although his team isn't the favorite to win the title, Roberto Martínez is very confident in his chances. "In international football, there aren't many opportunities to win trophies, and there's nothing better than doing so. The important thing is that we're here. This team has shown great resilience over these two and a half years, and the matches against teams like Germany, Spain, and France are perfect challenges to continue preparing for the World Cup," the coach stated.

History will be another opponent for Portugal to face, having lost their last five matches against Germany and only won three of their 19 meetings . The Portuguese side's last triumph came a quarter of a century ago, on June 20, 2000, when they won 3-0 in the group stage of the European Championship in Belgium-Netherlands. To find their last victory on German soil, we must go back to October 16, 1985, when they won 1-0 in a qualifying match for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

One of the most attractive (if not the most) international matches that European football has to offer these days will be played on Thursday in Stuttgart: Spain, the reigning Nations League and Euro Cup champions, will face France, the runners-up in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar .

A significant overhaul has taken place in La Roja 's squad since their triumph in the 2023 Nations League (beating Croatia on penalties in the final in Rotterdam): only 10 of the 26 players who traveled to the Netherlands to compete in that Final Four are now in Germany, hoping to repeat the title. Among those missing are Rodri and Dani Carvajal, who missed almost the entire season due to knee injuries. Ferran Torres, who underwent appendicitis surgery three weeks ago, is also missing.

Luis de la Fuente , the architect of this successful team, has added a lot of youth to his roster. Some have already responded in spades, such as the super-talented Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams . Others are gaining their first experience, such as defenders Pau Cubarsí and Dean Huijsen , and forward Samu Omorodion Aghehowa . Furthermore, in this squad, the coach has recalled Isco Alarcón, who returned to the national team after a six-year absence and following a great season with Betis.

Spain was the team that earned the most points in the Nations League group stage, racking up 16 points in the group stage shared with Denmark, Serbia, and Switzerland. However, in the quarterfinals, they had to work harder and suffer even more to overcome the Netherlands: they drew 2-2 in Rotterdam and 3-3 in Valencia, and only managed to prevail in the shootout on penalties.

“Since I arrived, I've always said this tournament is tougher than the Euros in the group stage. We'll give it our all; we want to make history by becoming the first team to win the Nations League twice. We'll continue to compete at the highest level against these opponents who could easily be in a World Cup final tomorrow,” warned Luis de la Fuente.

France were also Nations League champions: in 2021, they narrowly defeated Spain 2-1 in the final in Milan. But the Iberians got their revenge last year, beating their neighbors in Munich in one of the Euro 2021 semifinals. Eleven months later, in Stuttgart (190 kilometers northwest of Munich), Les Bleus will seek revenge.

“This Spanish national team has already proven its quality; it's the best national team in Europe and probably the best in the world. They may also have some younger players. But even so, my team always has the ability to maintain a strong collective and technical rhythm,” said Didier Deschamps , the coach who has led the team for 14 years.

France edged out Italy, Belgium, and Israel in Group 2 of the Nations League. In the quarterfinals, they lost 2-0 to Croatia in Split, but in the return match in Saint-Denis, they won by the same score and then triumphed in the penalty shootout. They head into this decisive round with a depleted squad and some of their players almost without rest.

William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, and Jules Koundé, three of the four regular starters in defense, will be missing due to injury, as will midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. Seven of their players played in Saturday's Champions League final in Munich: five won with Paris Saint-Germain (Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, and Désiré Doué), while two had to settle for second place with Inter (Marcus Thuram and Benjamin Pavard).

The winners of these two semifinals will face each other in the final, which will be played on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The losers, meanwhile, will face each other on the same day, but at 10 a.m. at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart, in the duel for third place.