UEFA Nations League best bets & value picks – Friday, June 3

The UEFA Nations League kicks off this week, and while it doesn’t come close to the World Cup or Euros in terms of prestige, it beats slogging through a series of meaningless international friendlies. These are our picks for Friday’s games, with odds courtesy of Bovada.

Belgium vs Netherlands

This is slated to be a great game between two close countries. Belgium are in the midst of their golden generation with players like Kevin De Bruyne, Thorgan Hazard and Romelu Lukaku all at the peak of their powers. Belgium will be without their main goalkeeper and Champions League hero, Thibaut Courtois, but they have a suitable replacement in Koen Casteels. Belgium’s attack is one of the best in the world and it should prove to be too much for Netherlands. Simply, this pick comes down to one guy – De Bruyne. Nobody could stop the Manchester City star during the season just gone, and we expect that to continue in this game.

Netherlands have had a couple down years since their FIFA World Cup final loss in 2010, but they seem to have the young talent to get back to that spot. Guys like Jurrien Timber, Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong will provide this team with a good spine to build around. Of course, they have one of the best centerbacks in the world in Virgil van Dijk, but it’s unclear whether he will play in this game. Netherlands possess a strong defense, but Belgium’s offense should be too much for them to silence. The Dutch are not very strong in attack, so Belgium should be able to bottle them up. For those reasons, we are picking Belgium to come away with a victory at home.

France vs Denmark

France haven’t lost at home in 30 games. While Denmark is a strong, rising country in the world soccer space, the French are established as a dominant team. Paul Pogba is not expected to play, but that won’t affect France. They will put in youngster Aurelien Tchouameni as his replacement, and as a result, France shouldn’t skip a beat. The reigning world champions will still have Ngolo Kante, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema in the squad, and those three are elite players who Denmark will struggle to slow down. France’s teamsheet is loaded and they will outclass Denmark in every position. As long as their chemistry is OK, France should win this.

That said, Denmark should not be underestimated. They are on the heels of their surprising run to the semi finals of Euro 2020 and could be a surprise team in this competition. Guys like Christian Eriksen and Andreas Christensen are big names who will lead this young squad into battle. However, France are a different beast and shouldn’t struggle with this young Denmark team.

Croatia vs Austria

While neither of these nations rank among Europe’s soccer superpowers, both sport impressive squads that are capable of beating some of the world’s best. Croatia, of course, lost in the last 2018 World Cup final and will be expected to be a strong team in this competition. The strength of their team lies in the midfield, so they should be able to dominate possession in this matchup. Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic are all expected to play, and when they do, they give Croatia a chance against anyone. These guys are all star midfielders at big clubs and they seem to pick up the team when they play for their country. It won’t be easy, but Croatia should win this game.

Austria also boast some big names – most notably David Alaba, who is a class player in multiple positions. Unfortunately for Austria, however, he doesn’t play striker and score a lot of goals. In a game where Croatia should have a lot of possession, Austria will need a special talent to score the few chances they may get. And it doesn’t appear like they have that guy. Maybe someone will step up for them, but we are not counting on it. Take Croatia to win at home.

More sports betting picks