Nations League 2024/25: Group A1 betting preview

The first international break of the new season sees the commencement of the UEFA Nations League 2024-25 campaign.

Odds Now are here to run you through each of the 14 groups across Tiers A, B C and D ahead of the first round of fixtures to pick out the best value, starting with group A1.

Nations League Group A1 teams

Croatia 

Zlatko Dalic's men endured a difficult Euro 2024 campaign which culminated in their elimination at the group stage after they finished behind eventual tournament winners Spain and the then holders Italy. 

Concerns around Croatia's ageing squad were realised upon their failure to record a single victory in Germany, leaving them in third place with just two points to their name. A heartbreaking last-minute equaliser from the Italians, which levelled the score at 1-1, confirmed their first group stage exit at a European Championships since 2012.

The country will be grateful to retain the services of legendary captain Luka Modric after the 38-year-old confirmed he will continue to represent his nation, despite their poor performance over the summer. 

Modric was part of the Croatia squad which reached the Nations League final in 2023, where they suffered a crushing 5-4 penalty shootout defeat to the Spaniards. 

Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo and co were eliminated at the quarter-finals for a second successive major tournament this summer. After playing out a 0-0 stalemate against France, Roberto Martinez's men eventually lost 5-3 on penalties in Hamburg to bring an end to their Euro 2024 dream. Portugal have now failed to reach the semi-finals in every major tournament since winning the European Championships in 2016.

The dearth of talent throughout A Seleção's squad cannot be denied - it's little wonder they finished as the highest-scoring team in qualifying for this summer's tournament when looking at their attacking options - but the nation never really got going in Germany. A 3-0 win over Turkey was sandwiched between an unconvincing victory over the Czech Republic in their opening group game before they suffered a stunning 2-0 defeat to group minnows Georgia on matchday three.

Nevertheless, Martinez's side had done enough to secure a place in the knockout stages, but required penalties to see off an unfancied Slovenia side prior their loss to the French in the following round.

Questions remain over the Spanish manager's suitability to lead the country moving forward given the depth of talent in the Portuguese squad. With pressure mounting, all eyes will be on their opening matches against Croatia and Scotland this week. 

Portugal bowed out of Euro 2024 after defeat to France in the quarter-finals. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Poland 

The Polish faced a daunting task when drawn in Group B alongside France, the Netherlands and Austria at Euro 2024. Like Croatia, the feeling was the Championships had came a tournament too late for Poland's ageing squad, which would eventually pickup just a single point across their three group stage matches in Germany.

Manager Michal Probierz had only been in the job nine months prior to the tournament but, despite steadying the ship after a dismal start to qualifying under former manager Fernando Santos, the 51-year-old was unable to navigate a route out of one of the competition's more competitive groups.

Probierz will be grateful to hear of Robert Lewandowski's recent decision to continue playing at international level, despite a disappointing return in Polish colours recently. The Poland captain found the net on just one occasion in Germany and has only two goals in his last nine appearances for his country.

Scotland

The latest chapter of Scotland's major tournament nightmares was instilled with another dissatisfying tournament over the summer. Steve Clarke's men picked up just one point in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland, courtesy of Scott McTominay's opener. Their campaign ended with a cruel last-gasp 1-0 defeat to Hungary in their final game, confirming a second successive exit at the group stage in European Championships.  

Nevertheless, the Scottish FA have opted to stick with Clarke as manager despite poor performances in Euros 2020 and 2024. The 61-year-old will be eager to match their success in the 2022/23 Nations League, where they managed a first-place finish in Group B1, ahead of runners-up Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland. 

Whether Clarke will keep his place in the Scottish hotseat remains to be seen, but a positive start in this tournament will certainly go a long way in winning back some doubters.

Scott McTominay scored Scotland's only goal at Euro 2024 in their 1-1 draw with Switzerland. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Odds Now's best bet for Group A1

To the surprise of nobody, Portugal come in firm odds-on favourites at 8/13 to finish as group winners. Despite their poor performances in Germany, the Portuguese still look well-placed with an abundance of youthful exuberance compared to their ageing Croatian and Polish counterparts. 

The fact the latter two nations remain so reliant on figures of yesteryear in Luka Modric and Robert Lewandowski - as good as those two are - speaks to the lack of emerging talents currently operating in their ranks. 

Poland in particular are crying out for some fresh legs in their squad. They may have raced into a lead against the Netherlands in their first group match this summer but were beaten handily by an impressive Austria side in matchday two. Their only point came in a 1-1 draw with a France side who were already assured of a place in the knockout stages. 

While Scotland may come in as 4/6 favourites to finish bottom in this group, I'm actually expecting the Polish to end up at the foot of the table. Sure, Steve Clarke's men have failed to record anything of note across two European Championships but, outside of major tournaments, they have mightily impressed in recent years.

Scotland won four of their six Nations League matches in 2022/23, albeit against lower level opposition in tier B, but also lost only once en route to securing qualification for Euro 2024. Compared with the efforts of a Polish side who scraped through the play-offs to secure a spot in Germany, there's plenty of value to be found in Michal Probierz' men finishing bottom at 17/10.