With the new Nations League kicking off this weekend it is fair to say that football fans are entering something of the unknown. In the past, this part of the season would have seen the cut thrust of the domestic game replaced by the much maligned international friendly.
And although they have not quite been consigned to history, UEFA have at least gone some way to lessening the boredom when competitions such as the English Premier League or Spain’s La Liga are on hiatus.
And it is with that, that we see the arrival of the UEFA Nations League. 55 countries will take part as they are split into four leagues, while from there the leagues are then split into sub-groups with promotion and relegation also in play.
In addition to that there are also potential Euro 2020 qualifying spots up for grabs, so the clashes that we will see over the next few months are going to be anything but the usual dead rubbers that are played at half pace.
One of the clashes that we will witness this weekend is Switzerland vs Iceland. It might come as a slight surprise that they both find themselves in the elite level of League A but at the same time that is probably doing both nations a disservice.
They have been placed in Group 2 alongside with the side that finished third in this Summer’s World Cup, that of course being the Belgian side that is brimming with talent and will be favourites to advance to the final four.
That means that with the trapdoor of relegation looming large this is going to be one of the more important fixtures of the group. With home advantage Switzerland will be looking for nothing less than a win.
However, as we’ve seen over the past few years this Iceland outfit is a very resolute one indeed. One that has qualified for both its first ever European Championships and World Cup in the past four years.
The question is though whether Iceland can keep the cycle of success going, especially with such a relatively small player poll to choose from. For any international side this is always the ongoing struggle and the Icelandic side will be no different.
They go up against a Swiss side who reached the Round of 16 in this year’s World Cup before losing to Sweden. A game that had they displayed more firepower then it would have been they who went to meet England in the Quarters.
Fans of the English game will obviously be aware of the talents of both Xhedran Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka and the Switzerland manager Vladimir Petkovic will be hoping they can play an integral part when they face Iceland.
As for the visiting Icelandic side they will look to their talisman Gylfi Sigurdsson to produce the goods once more, if he does they have a chance of getting something out of the game. However, the Swiss are a tough nut to crack at home and will be confident of winning in front of their own fans.