Big Questions Surrounding the Euro Qualifiers this Weekend
Club matches might be on a break for the next couple of days, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any football matches to look forward to until then. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the biggest questions surrounding the Euro Qualifiers.
Will the Netherlands Deliver on their Promise?
The last 12 months have witnessed an emerging revival within the Netherlands’ fortunes when it comes to football. After not qualifying for two major competitions, the Dutch national team ripped made a name for themselves in the Nations League and ended up second behind Portugal. Are they back, well they are still getting there thanks to an improved selection of talent., This includes Matthijs de Ligt and Virgil van Dijk, both of whom are considered to be the best defensive duo in international football.
However, the team is still not back in full force because they are still not automatic qualifiers for the tournament. They are currently 3 points behind Northern Ireland but have a game in hand at least. They definitely need to win the match to make their journey more comfortable. If they can, we might just see a spectacular comeback from the Dutch national team.
Can Iceland Provide an Exciting Upset?
A huge potential upset can occur in Reykjavik, where a somewhat depleted France squad will travel to face Iceland in a ticklish tie. Due to the fact that France is suffering with injuries in Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, and Hugo Lloris, along with a range of ailments, the French aren’t exactly in excellent health for this game.
France managed to defeat Iceland 4-0 earlier this year, but since then Didier Deschamps’ side has been very unconvincing. Add in the unexpected defeat against Turkey they will enter this match in third place on the leaderboard, 3 points ahead of their opponents on Friday. France will also have the opportunity to get revenge against Turkey on Monday. But they will first need to survive a match against Iceland on Friday. This could be a massive upset if Iceland can pull it off.
Will England Deal with More Racism?
Even though its quite disheartened to deal with such a problem in 2019, there are still loads of fears that the black players on the England side will once again be the primary subject of racism once they make their way to Sofia to face Bulgaria on Monday. It’s been a massive problem prior to this match before, and we expect that the same issue will arise once the match gets underway in Bulgaria again.
It’s unnecessary that Tammy Abraham should be placed in this position. However, the forward for Chelsea confirmed earlier this week that should the racist card be played, that the entire England team will ignore the three steps policy prescribed by UEFA and simply appeal over the PA. Thereafter, they will suspend the game and then abandon it by simply walking off the field. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this.