After nearly a year, Spain and France reenacted the EURO 2024 final with many changes in the two teams' lineups.
In Stuttgart, Germany, the focus of the UEFA Nations League semi-final is the competition between Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele - the leading candidates for the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
Last week, the Champions League final ended with a historic victory for PSG , and the title of Best Player of the tournament went to Ousmane Dembele.
The recognition from UEFA puts the Frenchman clearly ahead in the race for the Ballon d'Or, which will be awarded next September.
As fate would have it, just 5 days after PSG beat Inter Milan 5-0, Dembele had a direct confrontation with Lamine Yamal on the field.
The battle between the top two candidates in the vote organised by France Football and UEFA will decide the ticket to the UEFA Nations League final – where Portugal awaits.
Still reeling from the emotions of what he experienced in Munich and Paris, Dembele focused on France with an important task: to avenge the defeat to Spain last year.
PSG's treble was largely contributed by Dembele, with 33 goals and 14 assists. In the final alone, he provided two assists and had a major impact on the game.
Dembele has another advantage: the FIFA Club World Cup to continue scoring points in the Ballon d'Or race.
However, Lamine Yamal is not discouraged. The Barcelona player still has a lot of opportunities thanks to his playing style and ability to inspire.
Lamine Yamal always explodes in important matches. The win over France at EURO 2024 was one of them, when he helped Spain come back to win 2-1 with a masterpiece scored before he turned 17.
The Nations League is not a prestigious trophy, but it is still a goal for Lamine Yamal to conquer, helping to add to his collection of titles in a spectacular season.
The Yamal-Dembele rivalry is of course the focus, but not the only factor in the semi-final between Spain and France .
"Mbappe has had a good season at Real Madrid, he can even win the Ballon d'Or," said coach Didier Deschamps.
It can be said that Mbappe will be a special catalyst for the match, a big challenge for the Spanish defense, when coach Luis de la Fuente wants to test the young central defender pair Dean Huijsen and Pau Cubarsi.
Force:
Spain: Absent Rodri, Carvajal, Laporte, Ayoze Perez, Ferran Torres.
France: Camavinga, Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano are absent.
Expected lineup:
Spain (4-2-3-1): Unai Simon; Mingueza, Cubarsi, Huijsen, Cucurella; Pedri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Olmo, Nico Williams; Morata.
France (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kalulu, Konate, Lenglet, T. Hernandez; Kone, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe.
Match odds: Spain handicap 1/4
Goal ratio: 2 1/2
Prediction: Spain win 2-1 .
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nhan-dinh-bong-da-tay-ban-nha-vs-phap-ban-ket-nations-league-2408287.html
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