UEFA Nations League: What to look out for on Tuesday

The league phase of the third edition of the UEFA Nations League ends on Tuesday, with one more spot in the finals in June 2023 up for grabs.

UEFA.com assesses the lie of the land ahead of the last night of Matchday 6 encounters.

Tuesday 27 September
Group A2 Switzerland vs Czechia
Group A2 Portugal vs Spain
Group B1 Ukraine vs Scotland
Group B1 Republic of Ireland vs Armenia
Group B2 Albania vs Iceland
Group B4 Sweden vs Slovenia 
Group B4 Norway vs Serbia
Group C2 Greece vs Northern Ireland
Group C2 Kosovo vs Cyprus

All kick-off times 20:45 CET

Portugal and Spain battle for last finals spot

There's nothing quite like a winner-takes-all Iberian derby to close out the league phase. Portugal surprisingly hold the whip hand after Spain slipped to a 2-1 loss at home to Switzerland on Saturday, and Fernando Santos' side need only avoid defeat in Braga. The last five meetings between the pair have ended in draws, but Luis Enrique warns that his Spain team mean business. "It's going to be a difficult place to win, but another draw won't serve us," he said. "We'll go there to try and take three points."

Scotland vs Ukraine III

Less than four months after they met in the FIFA World Cup play-offs, Ukraine and Scotland cross paths again for a crucial tie that will determine who is promoted to League A. Scotland need only a draw in Krakow after back-to-back home victories over Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland, but memories of Hampden are still raw and Ukraine looked to have blown away any cobwebs as they stuck five past Armenia on Saturday. "We will be up against a very good Ukraine team, but they have to win," says Scotland manager Steve Clarke.

Haaland vs Mitrović

The top two scorers in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League go head to head in Oslo on Tuesday as Erling Haaland's Norway host Aleksandar Mitrović's Serbia. The teams are locked on ten points in Group B4 after Norway lost to Slovenia on Saturday, while a Mitrović hat-trick inspired Serbia to an impressive 4-1 dismantling of Sweden. Haaland grabbed the only goal when these teams met on Matchday 1; can the Man City forward see Norway over the line?

Elsewhere on Tuesday

• Switzerland may yet end a campaign that has brought wins against Portugal and (for the first time) away to Spain by being relegated; Czechia will leapfrog the Swiss if they beat them in St Gallen.

• Ireland will look to end an up-and-down campaign on a high when they host an Armenia side that beat them on Matchday 1. A repeat of that result and the Irish will be relegated to League C.

• Sweden are on a four-match losing run, and anything less than victory at home to Slovenia would spell demotion to League C.

• Greece have wrapped up Group C2 but it is all to play for at the other end of the table, with Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Cyprus all in danger of dropping into the relegation play-outs.

Key dates

Matchdays 5 & 6: 22–27 September 2022
Semi-finals: 14 & 15 June 2023
Final & third-place match: 18 June 2023
Play-outs: 21–23 & 24–26 March 2024