5 Goalscorer Tips For Thursday’s Nations League Action - 22/9/22

France make a return to Nations League action this Thursday, as they take on Ralf Rangnick’s Austria.

The League A Group 1 clash is of vital importance to Les Bleus, as they currently sit bottom of the group with just two points from four games to their name. Surprisingly, Les Bleus have not even picked up a single win from those four matches despite the talented players in their ranks, with two losses and two draws instead.

Their opponents on Thursday are not faring much better than them, with Austria in third place in the group, just two points ahead of France. Victory for Austria would mean that France would be relegated to League B and would also give them a chance of finishing higher in the group than second-place Croatia, who have a worse goal difference than the Austrians and face a tough test in Denmark in their match.

But, because of the desperate circumstances, we can see France picking up a win here. Kylian Mbappe has been on scintillating form for PSG, and he is likely to carry that form into this international break – Mbappe has had 3+ shots on target in six of his last nine games for PSG, and has scored 10 goals in all competitions so far for his club, so expect to see him on the scoresheet in this one, especially when you factor in that he scored in the reverse fixture back in June.

Turkey host minnows Luxembourg in a Group 1 clash in League C on Thursday, with Stefan Kuntz’s side the heavy favourites to emerge victorious from this match.

Kuntz has led Turkey to a 100% record so far in the current Nations League campaign, with four wins from four matches. Victory on Thursday evening would see Turkey promoted back to League B of the Nations League, and considering their impressive form and who their opponents are, we think that Turkey will clinch promotion.

From the four matches they have played, Turkey have managed to score 14 goals, and Serdar Dursun has certainly played his part. The Fenerbahce striker has scored four goals in those four matches, scoring at least once against all the other teams in the group.

All of Dursun’s goals have come in the second half of the game, with a 76th-minute strike against Luxembourg in June, a second-half brace in a 6-0 drubbing of Lithuania, and an 82nd-minute goal against the Faroe Islands. So we think that the forward will continue that trend and once again score in the second half when these two sides meet.

Our third tip takes us to what should be an enticing clash between Poland and the Netherlands, with a win for Louis van Gaal’s side seeing them advance to the semi-finals of the Nations League.

The League A Group 4 table is finely poised between the top three sides, with Netherlands, Belgium and Poland all still in with a chance of qualifying based on if results elsewhere go in their favour.

The Netherlands can secure top spot with a win here, whereas Poland can secure survival in League A with a win, so both sides have something to play for here. For Poland, their obvious dangerman is the imperious Robert Lewandowski, who has made an impressive start to life under Xavi at Barcelona.

The Pole is his country’s highest-goalscorer ever, and he will be looking (and likely to add to) that tally on Thursday – he has 11 in eight in all competitions for club, and has been his usual threatening self. Lewandowski didn’t play in the last Nations League fixture between these two countries, so will be raring to get a goal here.

Memphis Depay is one of his country’s best performers, with the former Manchester United man just eight goals off equalling the all-time goalscorer record for the Netherlands, currently held by Robin van Persie.

Depay has two in his last four Nations League games, and against a relatively average Poland defence, it is likely that he will score again.

Beaten World Cup finalists Croatia host an in-form Denmark at the Maksimir Stadium in Group 1 of League A, with the match being a chance for the Danes to secure a place in the finals of the Nations League if they can secure a win.

Denmark currently sit top of the group, but they are just two points ahead of Croatia, who are hunting them down and looking to take that finals spot for themselves.

The two sides are similar in terms of performance, with Denmark picking up three wins and just one defeat in their four matches, while Croatia have picked up two wins, a draw and a defeat in their four games.

This is a game in which anyone could win due to the circumstances – both sides are missing some players through injury, and it is a pressure game that could therefore lead to unexpected moments like defensive mistakes or unexpected goalscorers.

One thing we can be near sure of is that there will be goals in this one. For Croatia, Andrej Kramaric has scored three goals in his last six international outings, and we think he could do so again on Thursday night.

Our final tip involves Robert Martinez’s Belgium, who host bottom side Wales in the evening’s second clash in Group 4 of League A.

A win for Martinez’s side keeps them in contention for a spot in the finals, as they currently chase down the Netherlands for the group’s top spot. They are currently just three points behind Louis van Gaal’s side, and with the Netherlands facing a tough test away in Warsaw, it is a chance for Belgium to seize control of the group.

Wales have no wins in this group and look likely to be relegated to League B, but their record against this opposition will give them some hope - Belgium have picked up just one win against Wales in seven outings since 2014.

For Belgium, Romelu Lukaku has been sidelined through injury, and so Michy Batshuayi has been leading the line, and with three goals in six appearances in all competitions, he has not done too badly. He will lead the line again here, and with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard supporting him, we can expect to see quite a few Belgian names on the scoresheet in this one.