Nations League 2024/25: Group A4 betting preview

Reigning European champions Spain hope to continue their remarkable efforts in 2024 with another strong showing by defending their Nations League title in 2024-25.

The Spaniards face-off in a well-matched group against Denmark, Switzerland and Serbia, who will all be eyeing a spot in March's quarter-finals. 

Odds Now's Brad Walker runs you through each team's prospects.

Nations League Group A4 teams

Spain 

2024 hasn't been a bad year for Spanish football, has it? Not only did the senior team secure a fourth European Championship title for the country, but then the under-23 side followed in their footsteps to win Olympic gold in Paris two months later. 

Key preparation for La Roja was their 2022-23 Nations League campaign. Luis de la Fuente's side finished top of their group before going on to win the tournament with a 5-4 victory over Croatia on penalties. 

Eyes will already be on the 2026 World Cup in two years' time, where emerging starlets in Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Pedri will have had another two years to blossom into the generational talents many predict them to be. 

Another successful Nations League campaign will set them up nicely for another shot at major honours and de la Fuente's crop are in good stead, coming in firm favourites to finish top of the group at a best price of 1/5 (general).

Spain won their fourth European Championship in Germany this summer. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Denmark

The Danes reached the knockout stages of a second consecutive European Championships but were unable to match their efforts at Euro 2020, where they bowed at the semi-final stage. 

This time around, Denmark were eliminated in the last 16 by tournament hosts Germany after narrowly escaping the group stages with three consecutive draws. 

Kasper Hjulmand's side hardly set the world alight but will fancy their chances of securing a top-two finish here, particularly given their performance in the 2022-23 Nations League campaign. 

Denmark finished second in group A1 with 12 points across six matches, coming ahead of both France and Austria in the process. A first-place finish looks a stretch too far given the strength of their Spanish counterparts, but Hjulmand's men will be eyeing their chances of a top-two finish and a place in the quarter-finals come March.

Switzerland 

The uncertainty surrounding Murat Yakin's future as Swiss boss left many unsure how Switzerland would fare in Germany. 

Yakin's side exceeded all expectations, though. They successfully navigated a route to the knockout stages after a second-place finish in the groups, where they came agonisingly close to a 1-0 victory over their German hosts before Niclas Fullkrug's stoppage time equaliser levelled the score.

Nevertheless, the Swiss continued to punch above their weight with a surprising 2-0 victory over Italy in the last 16. The then tournament favourites England required penalties to spell an end to Switzerland's time in the competition, but it's fare to say Yakin had convinced any doubters that he was the man to take the team forward. 

Switzerland raised eyebrows with a 2-0 victory over Italy in the last 16 of the Euros. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Serbia

Serbia would have been confident of securing a spot in the knockouts but were eventually spat out in the group stages after underwhelming performances this summer. 

Stojkovic's men finished with just two points to their name, leaving them in fourth place behind group minnows Slovenia. 

Talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic failed to deliver on the big stage, leading to a measly attacking output for the Serbs, who found the net on just one occasion across their three matches. 

Out of the four sides in the group, Serbia appear the one most lacking in momentum and are in dire need of a boost heading into this Nations League campaign. Nevertheless, they find themselves in League A courtesy of their efforts in the 2022-23 campaign. 

The Eagles finished top of group B4 with 13 points, losing just once in a competitive group alongside Norway, Slovenia and Sweden.

Odds Now's best bet for Group A4

I could take the easy route and just back Spain to finish top at 1/5, but that wouldn't make for an interesting selection now, would it? Therefore, the best road to go down in terms of value is picking the side to finish bottom out of the four.

The odds are nicely spread on this particular line. Both Serbia and Switzerland come in at a best price of 7/4 - something I found surprising given the Swiss' strong showing at the Euros. Their poor performances in the last iteration of the Nations League might have something to do with this - Yakin's crop finished third in their group - but were always going to struggle when facing-off against the likes of Portugal and Spain. 

Meanwhile, Denmark come in at 5/2 to finish last but I just can't see this happening. True, they weren't the most entertaining of sides in Germany but still got results. They were competitive in all of their matches and gave the tournament hosts a run for their money before eventually coming up short in the last 16. I certainly won't be tipping them for a fourth-placed finish. 

You can probably tell which direction I'm heading in here, then. Serbia to come bottom at 7/4. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of quality littered throughout their squad, with a number of names who immediately standout to even the casual football fan. Aleksandar Mitrovic, Luka Jovic, Dusan Vlahovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Good pedigree. They were just do disappointing in Germany, and are the only one of these four who are coming up from League B for 2024-25. 

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised by any order from second to fourth in this group. Spain are the obvious pick to finish top but other than that, I think the other three are well-matched. However, Serbia's recent form makes them stand out as the value play here. It'll certainly be an interesting group to keep an eye on.