The international break has begun with some intriguing matches in Euro qualifying set to take place.
Some of the traditional powerhouses are trying to get back on track, while some of the dark horses are trying to keep their runs going en route to the 2016 European Championships.
Here are the six key Euro qualifiers to watch.
Sunday programming alert: Watch Netherlands vs Latvia on the four main Sportsnet channels at 11:45 am ET, Belgium vs Wales on Sportsnet 360 at 11:45 am ET, Azerbaijan vs Norway on Sportsnet World at 11:45 am ET, Italy vs Croatia on the four main Sportsnet channels at 2:30 pm ET and Czech Republic vs Iceland on Sportsnet 360 at 2:30 pm ET, and Israel vs Bosnia on Sportsnet World at 2:30 pm ET. || Also, watch these games online at Sportsnet World NOW: Cyprus vs Andorra at noon ET, Bulgaria vs Malta at 2:45 pm ET and Turkey vs Kazakhstan at 2:45 pm ET.
Italy vs Croatia
Sunday’s contest at Milan’s San Siro is arguably the most important qualifier of the round. Both teams are tied for first place in Group H, and face each other to see who will grab sole possession of the top spot.
Croatia has scored nine times, conceding zero goals. They also haven’t lost to Italy in their last six meetings. Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo is sidelined with injury, as is Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne. Mario Balotelli was originally named to the Italian side, but had to pull out Saturday due to injury.
Conte’s side has been far from perfect. They conceded a sloppy goal to Azerbaijan, and barely squeaked past Malta in their previous qualifier, but they should be able to deliver their best performance in their most important match up to this point.
Belgium vs Wales
Both Belgium and Wales will have a ton of talent on display in their Group B qualifier in Brussels on Sunday. The Welsh lead the way with seven points, with Belgium just a win behind them, but they also have a game in hand.
Gareth Bale is the obvious star for Wales, but Belgium has a surplus of world-class players. Eden Hazard is probably the comparable with Bale, and they will both try to make the difference for their respective teams.
Belgium hasn’t lost at home against Wales, winning three of five matches whenever the Red Devils have hosted. Marc Wilmots actually won his first competitive game as Belgian manager against the Welsh, which was a 2-0 victory in Cardiff.
The last time the Welsh won this fixture was in 1993, when both Wilmots and Chris Coleman (the current coach of Wales) were still playing. However, Wales has improved a lot since then, so there could be an upset on the cards.
Saturday programming alert: Watch England vs Slovenia on the four main Sportsnet channels at 11:45 am ET, Luxembourg vs Ukraine on Sportsnet World at 11:45 am ET, Austria vs Russia on Sportsnet ONE at 11:45 am ET, Spain vs Belarus on the four main Sportsnet channels at 2:30 pm ET and Montenegro vs Sweden on Sportsnet World at 2:30 pm ET. || Also, watch these games online at Sportsnet World NOW: San Marino vs Estonia at noon ET, Moldova vs Liechtenstein at noon ET, Switzerland vs Lithuania at 2:45 pm ET and Macedonia vs Slovakia at 2:45 pm ET.
England vs Slovenia
England manager Roy Hodgson already has two injury concerns heading into Saturday’s game. Michael Carrick has a groin problem and Andros Townsend suffered a knock to his ankles, so both could miss the match at Wembley.
The Three Lions have won all three of their Group E qualifiers so far, but Slovenia is a close second, just three points behind England for first place.
Given the injuries to the squad, Hodgson may hand a first cap to Saido Berahino, with the striker taking the Premier League by storm this season to become the top-scoring Englishman. However, he might also be benched and get his debut against Scotland in an upcoming friendly.
Spain vs Belarus
Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque will likely shake things up in their Group C qualifier against Belarus in Huelva on Saturday. Young Barcelona striker Paco Alcacer is expected to spearhead the attack with Diego Costa not called up to the squad due to injury.
Jose Callejon may also be rewarded with a start due to his excellent form with Napoli this season. Real Madrid’s Isco could also feature with Cesc Fabregas being ruled out with a thigh problem.
Spain’s only blemish in qualifying was a 2-1 loss to Slovakia, but they’re still the group’s highest-scoring team (10 goals), and has conceded just three times. The Spaniards are only three points back of first place, so a win could put them back on top.
Friday programming alert: Watch Georgia vs Poland on the four main Sportsnet channels and Sportsnet World at 11:45 am ET, Scotland vs Ireland on the four main Sportsnet channels at 2:30 pm ET, Germany vs Gibraltar on Sportsnet World at 2:30 pm ET. || Also, watch these games online at Sportsnet World NOW: Serbia vs Denmark at 2:45 pm ET, Romania vs Northern Ireland at 2:45 pm ET, Hungary vs Finland at 2:45 pm ET, Greece vs Faroe Islands at 2:45 pm ET and Portugal vs Armenia at 2:45 pm ET.
Portugal vs Armenia
Portugal got off to a rough start in Group I. They lost 1-0 to Albania, but the Portuguese followed that up with a narrow 1-0 victory against Denmark—Portugal manager Fernando Santos was bailed out by Cristiano Ronaldo with his late goal.
The Seleccao has a golden opportunity to get back to the top of Group I versus Armenia in Yerevan on Friday. However, the Armenians have improved tremendously over the last few years. They only missed out on a playoff spot in World Cup qualifying last year by three points.
Armenia is the underdog, but if they’re taken lightly, they’ll make the Portuguese pay for that.
Germany vs Gibraltar
There may not be a wider gap between two nations in European qualifying than Germany and Gibraltar. It’s clear that the world champions will be heavily favoured in Friday’s contest in Nuremberg. But given how poorly they’ve begun their campaign, they need a game like this to get back on track.
The good news for Germany is that they’re only three points behind Poland and Ireland for the top spot in Group D. Manager Joachim Low is expected to field a strong line-up in order to record a morale-boosting victory, so don’t expect any mercy to be shown by Die Mannschaft.
Allen Bula’s Gibraltar side has lost all three of its opening Group D matches so far, conceding 17 goals in the process, so their work will be cut out for them.
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