UEFA Nations League Matchday 6: What to look out for

European giants Italy and France go up against each other once more, Croatia look to seal a quarter-final spot against Portugal and Germany are eyeing yet more goals.

UEFA.com takes a look at the biggest storylines ahead of the final round of UEFA Nations League league phase fixtures.

League A Matchday 6 fixtures

Sunday 17 November
A2 Israel vs Belgium
A2 Italy vs France

Monday 18 November
A1 Croatia vs Portugal
A1 Poland vs Scotland
A4 Serbia vs Denmark
A4 Spain vs Switzerland

Tuesday 19 November
A3 Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Netherlands
A3 Hungary vs Germany 

All kick-off times 20:45 CET

Italy and France battle for top spot

European heavyweights Italy and France both secured a quarter-final spot on the same night on Matchday 5, the Azzurri beating Belgium 1-0 away thanks to an early Sandro Tonali goal while Les Bleus drew 0-0 at home to Israel. It leaves Italy three points clear at the top of the group, and France will have to win by two goals or more in Milan in order to overtake their hosts and claim first place.

"We should have scored and it's painful we didn't," France forward Michael Olise told UEFA.com after the Israel stalemate. "We're all disappointed but I prefer to look ahead, we have our next game coming up so my focus goes there." Will Les Bleus be back among the goals at Stadio San Siro and avenge their 3-1 home defeat in the reverse fixture?

Croatia eyeing quarter-final spot against Portugal

A quarter-final spot hangs in the balance for Croatia as they host Portugal after falling to a 1-0 defeat in Glasgow. John McGinn's late strike stole a Scotland win when a stalemate would have ensured progression for Zlatko Dalić's side following Poland's 5-1 loss in Porto.

Vatreni have lost all five of their meetings with Portugal in UEFA competitions, but they can guarantee their final eight spot if that they snap that streak, or if Scotland do not beat Poland. That will be no small feat against a visiting side who netted five goals in the second half to breeze past Poland and claim top spot in Group A1. "It will be a big fight for us," admits Dalić, "but we must never give up."

Feel-good factor continues for Germany

Things are looking very positive indeed for Germany under Julian Nagelsmann. Following an impressive showing on home soil at EURO 2024 in which they were only narrowly defeated by eventual champions Spain in the quarter-finals, Die Mannschaft have won four out of five Nations League games, scoring 17 goals - four more than any other team across the tournament.

With top spot in A3 already wrapped up, Germany will look to put on a show again against Hungary as the confidence continues to grow. "We have to keep on going," insisted Nagelsmann following the 7-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Matchday 5. "We're not at the finish line yet, we want to win every game. It's important for the Nations League but also important for our mood in the team, for our energy."

Elsewhere

• England would seal a return to League A with victory against Republic of Ireland on Sunday in Lee Carsley's final game as interim manager before he hands the reins over to Thomas Tuchel.
• Scotland must win against Poland to avoid relegation, but a victory also gives them a chance of reaching the quarter-finals if Croatia lose to Portugal. "The objective was always to go to Poland and win," said coach Steve Clark.
• Top spot is still up for grabs in B4. A win over Montenegro would secure promotion for Türkiye, but Wales lie two points behind and will look to take advantage of any slip-up as they take on Iceland.