{"id":7204,"date":"2024-10-10T12:54:51","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T12:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=7204"},"modified":"2024-10-10T12:54:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T12:54:53","slug":"nations-league-preview-ronaldo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/nations-league-preview-ronaldo","title":{"rendered":"Nations League Preview: Can Ronaldo keep up his form?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As the second international break of the year approaches, the UEFA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/league\/uefa-nations-league-7016\">Nations League<\/a> takes center stage once again. With teams looking to secure vital points, the competition is heating up. Several high-profile fixtures and individual performances are set to capture the footballing world\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the standout storylines are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/cristiano-ronaldo-817\">Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217;s<\/a> quest to prove he\u2019s still at the top of his game, thrilling clashes involving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/belgium-2373\">Belgium<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/italy-2375\">Italy<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/france-5061\">France<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/erling-haaland-65760\">Erling Haaland\u2019s<\/a> efforts to bounce back from a disappointing performance. Fans around the world will be glued to their screens as Europe\u2019s best players and teams take to the field to battle for pride, points, and national glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Nations League Matchweek Two<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#cristiano-ronaldo-to-prove-that-hes-still-got-it\">Cristiano Ronaldo to prove that he&#8217;s still got it?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#belgium-take-on-italy-and-france-in-two-thrillers\">Belgium take on Italy and France in two thrillers<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#after-norways-former-coach-said-erling-haaland-had-one-of-the-worst-performances-hes-ever-seen-he-needs-some-big-goals\">After Norway&#8217;s former coach said Erling Haaland had one of the worst performances he&#8217;s ever seen, he needs some big goals<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#germany-battle-the-netherlands-in-an-awesome-fixture\">Germany battle the Netherlands in an awesome fixture<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#england-are-manchester-united-less-for-the-first-time-since-1976\">England are Manchester United-less, for the first time since 1976!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cristiano-ronaldo-to-prove-that-hes-still-got-it\">Cristiano Ronaldo to prove that he&#8217;s still got it?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cristiano Ronaldo is once again the focal point as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/portugal-5028\">Portugal<\/a> prepares for their Nations League fixtures. At 39, the iconic forward continues to defy expectations, consistently proving that age is just a number. During the first international break of the year, Ronaldo was in sublime form, scoring the decisive goals in Portugal\u2019s victories over Croatia and Scotland.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"674\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GettyImages-545932632-1024x674.jpg\" alt=\"He'll want more of this for Portugal - that starts with the Nations League!\" class=\"wp-image-5808\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">He&#8217;ll want more of this for Portugal &#8211; that starts with the Nations League! (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>His sharpness and finishing ability remain top-tier, and he\u2019s carried that momentum back to Al Nassr, where he has found the back of the net in four of his last five games. Now, as Portugal gets ready to face Poland and Scotland again, Ronaldo is poised to remind the world that he\u2019s still one of football\u2019s elite. His hunger for goals and relentless drive to compete at the highest level will be key as he looks to lead Portugal to further success in this Nations League campaign. All eyes will be on CR7 to see if he can continue his remarkable run of form and show that he\u2019s far from finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"belgium-take-on-italy-and-france-in-two-thrillers\">Belgium take on Italy and France in two thrillers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Two of the most exciting matchups of the Nations League break are Belgium&#8217;s clashes against Italy and France. Both fixtures are set to be absolute thrillers. Belgium, with their golden generation aging but still highly capable, will be tested against two footballing powerhouses. Italy are eager to restore pride after missing out on the last two World Cups, while France, stacked with talent like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/kylian-mbappe-39820\">Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/michael-olise-65785\">Michael Olise<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/aurelien-tchouameni-56328\">Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni<\/a>, aim to continue their dominance on the international stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Belgium, players like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/romelu-lukaku-844\">Romelu Lukaku<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/kevin-de-bruyne-843\">Kevin De Bruyne<\/a> are unavailable this international break, so their team is in the spotlight as they look to other sources, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/jeremy-doku-62158\">Jeremy Doku<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/leandro-trossard-27537\">Leandro Trossard. <\/a>Both games are must-watch events, offering fans a chance to see Europe\u2019s best teams battle it out with pride and Nations League points on the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-widget-id=\"0.jx81fygvcfa\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4051219\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-show-odds=\"true\" data-odds-type=\"decimal\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"powered-by\">Powered by<a id=\"powered-by-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">365Scores.com<\/a><\/div>\r\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"after-norways-former-coach-said-erling-haaland-had-one-of-the-worst-performances-hes-ever-seen-he-needs-some-big-goals\">After Norway&#8217;s former coach said Erling Haaland had one of the worst performances he&#8217;s ever seen, he needs some big goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Erling Haaland has had a stellar season so far, but his international form took a hit when Norway were held to a goalless draw against Kazakhstan. Former Norway manager Lars Lagerb\u00e4ck did not hold back, calling Haaland\u2019s performance &#8220;one of the worst&#8221; he\u2019d ever seen. The 24-year-old striker, known for his goal-scoring prowess at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/manchester-city-110\">Manchester City<\/a>, struggled to find his rhythm, and Norway\u2019s attack looked flat despite the presence of stars like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/martin-odegaard-11583\">Martin Odegaard<\/a> and Alexander Sorloth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With upcoming fixtures against Slovenia and Austria, Haaland will be looking to rediscover his scoring touch and silence the critics. These games present the perfect opportunity for Haaland to make his mark once again, and Norway will be counting on their talisman to deliver the goals they need to stay competitive in their group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/GettyImages-1234998756-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Nations League Haaland\" class=\"wp-image-2920\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Laurens Lindhout\/Soccrates\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"germany-battle-the-netherlands-in-an-awesome-fixture\">Germany battle the Netherlands in an awesome fixture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The rivalry between Germany and the Netherlands is one of the most storied in European football, and their upcoming Nations League fixture promises to be another epic encounter. Germany, under new management and aiming to restore their dominance on the international stage, will be looking to key players like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/leroy-sane-5461\">Leroy San\u00e9,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/florian-wirtz-76962\">Florian Wirtz<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/jamal-musiala-78061\">Jamal Musiala<\/a> to lead the charge.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"906\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GettyImages-1401665933-906x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Musiala - Nations League boss\" class=\"wp-image-5628\" style=\"width:784px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Markus Gilliar\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the Netherlands, led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/virgil-van-dijk-9104\">Virgil van Dijk<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/frenkie-de-jong-39293\">Frenkie de Jong<\/a>, will be keen to assert their authority and continue their resurgence under Ronald Koeman. Both teams boast incredible depth, with young talents and experienced veterans alike. This match is more than just about Nations League points\u2014it\u2019s about bragging rights between two of Europe\u2019s most successful football nations, and fans can expect a fiery, high-quality showdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-widget-id=\"0.a4euer5m91h\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4051222\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-show-odds=\"true\" data-odds-type=\"decimal\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"powered-by\">Powered by<a id=\"powered-by-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">365Scores.com<\/a><\/div>\r\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"england-are-manchester-united-less-for-the-first-time-since-1976\">England are Manchester United-less, for the first time since 1976!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For the first time since 1976, England\u2019s squad will not feature a single Manchester United player. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/harry-maguire-4294\">Harry Maguire<\/a> and young talent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/kobbie-mainoo-121719\">Kobbie Mainoo<\/a> both sidelined by injury, the streak of nearly 50 years with at least one United player in the England squad has come to an end. Historically, Manchester United has been a cornerstone of the national team, contributing legendary players such as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, and Gary Neville to the squad over the decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"993\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GettyImages-1277604148-993x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"Nations League will see no United players at England\" class=\"wp-image-6125\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The absence of United representation is a reflection of both injuries and the club\u2019s struggles to consistently produce England\u2019s top talents in recent years. As England head into this Nations League break, this absence marks a significant shift in the national team\u2019s landscape, sparking conversations about the evolving relationship between United and England\u2019s footballing future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">By Nicky Helfgott &#8211; <\/em><a style=\"font-size: revert; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NickyHelfgott1\"><em>NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter<\/em>)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">Keep up with all the <\/span><a style=\"font-size: revert; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\">latest football news<\/a><span style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\"> and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/league\/uefa-nations-league-7016\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/league\/premier-league-7\/news\"> Nations League news<\/a><span style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\"> on 365Scores!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-widget-id=\"0.nx7vg4pzqto\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4051189\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-show-odds=\"true\" data-odds-type=\"decimal\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"powered-by\">Powered by<a id=\"powered-by-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">365Scores.com<\/a><\/div>\r\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the second international break of the year approaches, the UEFA Nations League takes center stage once again. With teams looking to secure vital points, the competition is heating up. Several high-profile fixtures and individual performances are set to capture the footballing world\u2019s attention. Among the standout storylines are Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217;s quest to prove he\u2019s &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":7206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1766,690,26,190,186,294,1151,267,587,214,2242,27,1136,1350,307,913,271,285,2114,2248],"class_list":["post-7204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","tag-al-nassr-2","tag-belgium","tag-cristiano-ronaldo","tag-erling-haaland","tag-france","tag-germany","tag-harry-maguire","tag-italy","tag-jamal-musiala","tag-kevin-de-bruyne","tag-leroy-sane","tag-manchester-united","tag-martin-odegaard","tag-nations-league","tag-netherlands","tag-poland","tag-portugal","tag-romelu-lukaku","tag-scotland","tag-virgil-van-dijk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}