Nations League final four: France, Spain, Germany, Portugal face off amid tiredness and injuries
BERLIN (AP) — No rest for the winners.
Sandwiched between the Champions League final and Club World Cup, the Nations League final four provides another opportunity to win a trophy for players who might have more need of a break.
Seven France players, four from Portugal, and one each from Spain and Germany were involved as Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Germany defender Yann Aurel Bisseck was injured playing for Inter and will miss the Nations League semifinal against Portugal in Munich on Wednesday.
PSG players Gonçalo Ramos, João Neves, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha will need to shake off any lingering effects from celebrations before they play for Portugal.
France plays Spain in the other semifinal in Stuttgart on Thursday, when Spain's Fabián Ruiz is likely to start in midfield despite starring in midfield for PSG on Saturday.
France players Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaïre-Emery all helped PSG end its long wait to lift the Champions League trophy. France players Marcus Thuram and Benjamin Pavard were on the losing side for Inter Milan.
While France coach Didier Deschamps will need to assess the impact of PSG's partying on his players, three of his preferred four-man backline are also injured. William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Koundé are all out. Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is also injured as a long season takes its toll.
The winners of each semifinal will contest the final in Munich on Sunday. The losers won't get a break yet — they'll need to play in Stuttgart to decide third place.
What is the Nations League?
The new competition was formed in 2018 to replace what UEFA called 'meaningless friendlies' with competitive games pitting equally ranked teams against each other.
For this, it set up a league structure with four divisions containing groups of national teams, then – from this edition – a new knockout round after the group phase among the top division's group winners and runners-up to determine which play in the finals.
In the quarterfinals, Spain defeated the Netherlands on penalties, France also needed penalties against Croatia, Germany defeated Italy 5-4 on aggregate, and Portugal beat Denmark 5-3 on aggregate.
It ensured all three previous winners of the competition – Portugal (2019), France (2021) and Spain (2023) – qualified for the final four along with host Germany.
How important is the Nations League?
Spain used success in 2023 as a springboard for winning the European Championship in 2024, and France reached the World Cup final in 2022 after winning the Nations League the year before.
While fans might struggle to remember previous winners amid an increasingly packed schedule, coaches and players welcome the competitive edge it provides.
For Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, it's a chance to win his first title. Though not comparable to winning a European Championship or World Cup, it would restore some pride in German soccer after the national team's decline following its 2014 World Cup win.
Key facts
— France's game with Spain is a repeat of their Euro 2024 semifinal, when the team starring Lamine Yamal got the better of Kylian Mbappé's France on its way to lifting the title.
— Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki could make his debut for France.
— Isco is back for Spain after a six-year-absence. The 33-year-old former Real Madrid star enjoyed a stellar season at Real Betis.
— Germany captain Joshua Kimmich would make his 100th national team appearance if he plays against Portugal.
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— With Jamal Musiala out injured, Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz will be under more pressure to create openings for Germany.
— Porto star Rodrigo Mora was called up by Portugal for the first time. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has been linked with a host of clubs including Manchester United, Barcelona and PSG.
— The evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo, now 40, will lead Portugal again. He might not get a break after this tournament either.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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