GOAL! Iceland 1-0 Israel (Thorsteinsson 9)
We’ve got a goal in Reykjavik, where Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson has given Iceland an early lead against Israel.
GOAL! France 0-1 Croatia (Modric 5 pen)
Modric hits the penalty with force and, while Mike Maignan gets a hand to the ball, the France goalkeeper fails to push it round the post. Croatia have an early lead.
Penalty for Croatia!
Ibrahima Konaté appears to lightly clip Ante Budimir’s heel at a corner and, three minutes in, Croatia have a spot kick. Modric steps up…
Kick-off!
We’re under way at the Stade de France and Parken. Oh, and in Reykjavik where, don’t forget, Iceland are playing Israel in a truly epic League B, Group 2 top-of-the-table clash.
Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, it looks like we’ve got a straight 4-4-2 duel on our hands. No doubt Mike Bassett is delighted.
Didier Deschamps looks to have switched formation this evening, with France set to line up in a 4-4-2 with Mbappé and Karim Benzema up top as opposed to the 4-2-3-1 he fielded against Austria. Croatia are going with 4-3-3, just as they did in their 1-1 draw with France earlier this month.
The warm-ups are ticking along nicely. We’ve got 20 minutes to go until kick-off at the Stade de France and Parken Stadium.
That Croatia midfield is just ridiculous, isn’t it? Luka Modric brings Real Madrid’s creative edge, Marcelo Brozovic provides Inter’s defensive brawn and Mateo Kovacic adds the Chelsea wildcard factor. Adrien Rabiot, Matteo Guendouzi, Boubacar Kamara and Christopher Nkunku have their work cut out for them.
Team news
Here’s how the teams line up for the two games in League A, Group 1:
France: Maignan, Koundé, Konaté, Kimpembe, Digne, Rabiot, Kamara, Guendouzi, Nkunku, Benzema, Mbappé.
Croatia: Ivusic, Stanisic, Erlic, Sutalo, Juranovic, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Pasalic, Budimir, Brekalo.
Denmark: Schmeichel, Boilesen, Christensen, Andersen, Nissen, Maehle, Jensen, Højbjerg, Olsen, Cornelius, Wind.
Austria: Lindner, Trimmel, Trauner, Danso, Wimmer, Lazaro, Schlager, Seiwald, Sabitzer, Kalajdzic, Weimann.
In other Nations League news, Kazakhstan have edged past Slovakia 2-1 while Azerbaijan have beaten Belarus 2-0. The Hawks, as the Kazakhstan national team are known, are sitting pretty at the top of League C, Group 3 on 10 points, with Slovakia second on six and Azerbaijan two points behind in third.
Are you ready for another evening of full-throttle, high-octane, pedal-to-the-metal Nations League pandemonium? No disrespect to your Maltas, your Andorras, your Liechtensteins and your San Marinos, but tonight is all about the rarified brilliance of France, Croatia, Denmark and Austria. Oh, and Iceland are playing Israel.
It’s been a lacklustre Nations League campaign for France so far, with the reigning world champions going winless in their first three matches. They required a late equaliser from Kylian Mbappé to salvage a draw against Austria on Friday, with the Paris Saint-Germain forward, sporting director, manager and transfer strategist (a joke! a joke!) making a welcome return from injury.
Denmark remain top of the group despite a 1-0 defeat to Croatia in Copenhagen last time out, with Mario Pasalic scoring the only goal of the game. They will be hoping for a repeat of their 2-1 win against Austria in Vienna last Monday, when a close-range strike from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and a late screamer from Jens Stryger Larsen were enough to secure victory.