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UEFA Nations League A play continues in Milan on Saturday, as Italy hosts Portugal at the San Siro.
For those in the United States looking to watch, the match is scheduled to start at 2:45 p.m. ET. While it won’t be broadcast on television anywhere in the US, you can still watch a live stream of the game on your computer, phone or streaming device via ESPN+, the new digital streaming service from ESPN that broadcasts all 2018-19 UEFA Nations matches
You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch a live stream of any UEFA Nations League match on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.
If you can’t watch live, all games–including Italy vs Portugal–that are streamed on ESPN+ are also available to be watched on-demand via ESPN.com or the ESPN app.
Preview
These teams met in September in Lisbon, with Andre Silva’s 48th-minute goal proving to be the difference in the 1-0 win for Portugal. Fernando Santos followed that up with a 3-2 win in Poland a month later, putting A Selecao in terrific position atop their group:
| Team | Played | W-D-L | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 2 | 2-0-0 | +2 | 6 |
| Italy | 3 | 1-1-1 | 0 | 4 |
| Portugal | 3 | 0-1-2 | -2 | 1 |
There are a few different ways Portugal can clinch a spot in the Nation League Finals.
A draw or win against Italy on Saturday would be the most simple, but even if the Italians manage to get all three points in this one, Portugal can still climb back to the top of the table with a win at home against Poland on Tuesday. A loss to Italy and a draw against Poland would put them equal with Italy at seven points, meaning it would come down to goal differential, and then goals scored.
For Italy, as just mentioned, a win Saturday is necessary to stay alive in the race for first place in the group, but a draw would guarantee avoiding relegation to League B in 2020-21. If they do lose, they’re still safe in Group A unless Poland can manage to upset to Portugal in Guimaraes.
As for Saturday’s game itself, Portugal will again be without Cristiano Ronaldo. He sat out the team’s wins over Italy and Portugal, and he has again been left off the squad in what is described as a “mutual consent” decision.
“The team has responded well in the last few games,” Santos said. “I’m very satisfied with the attitude of the team and I hope we can continue in the same way.”
Even though Portugal was able to get the win over Italy a couple months ago, going into the San Siro and replicating that result is a completely different story. Italy haven’t lost a game on home soil since a 3-1 defeat in a friendly against France in September of 2016.
“Italy is always favourite and more so when playing at home,” Santos said.