James Buttler looks forward to three Nations League matches on Thursday evening and comes up with a 20/1 treble.
All three matches at 19:45 kick-offs.
Italy v Belgium
A confident Italy have a 100% record in League A of the UEFA Nations League after wins away against France and Israel. With 5 wins in their last 6 Nations League matches, they have also won 5 of the last 6 matches against Belgium.
Both Teams To Score is an option as Italy have conceded in their last six international fixtures and Belgium have just two clean sheets in their last six. Belgium have5 won 2, D1 and lost 3 of those games. They beat Israel 3-1 in their opening game but lost 2-0 to France and are without key mean Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne.
Belgium haven’t beaten a top 10 ranked nation since June 2021 and that’s why Italy to win and BTTS at 3/1 looks like a great play. Italy’s Davide Frattesi scored in both UNL wins in September and he’s 11/5 anytime to score again.
Israel v France
Also in League A, also a 7.45pm kick-off, sees the likelihood of a continued Israeli struggle after defeats to both Italy and Belgium. The match takes place in Budapest with war in the Middle East, which takes away strong home advantage, with Israel having won 4 and drawn 2 of their last six matches. Israel have only beaten Belarus in 2024 and lost 4 other matches.
France will be without Antoine Griezmann (retired) and hot shot Kylian Mbappe (fallen out with manager Didier Deschamps) and their recent record is disappointing with just two wins in eight UNL matches. Olise is likely to lead the line for Les Bleus and it’s tough to see Israel taking anything from the match. So Olise to score in a French win is 17/10.
England v Greece
Interim manager Lee Carsley has enjoyed a good job interview so far with 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland, but opponents Greece top the Group B2 table.
England have won 7 and drawn 2 of their most recent matches with the Greeks, but they have failed to score before half-time in nine of their last 14 matches, but I’d not be confident of that stats steering us to a successful bet. For our treble I’m playing England to win and over 2.5 match goals at 19/20.
James' Nations League Tips
• Italy to win and BTTS at 3/1
• Michael Olise to score in a French win is 17/10
• England to win and over 2.5 match goals at 19/20
That gives a treble of 20/1