A match that’s tough to play — the dreaded third-place playoff

After a tough 2-1 loss to Portugal in the UEFA Nations League semifinal in Munich, Germany will aim to salvage some pride in the third-place playoff against France on Sunday at 16:00, taking place at Stuttgart’s MHPArena.

Germany initially looked on track when Florian Wirtz found the net early in the second half. But their momentum quickly faded, as Francisco Conceiçao and Cristiano Ronaldo struck back for Portugal, sealing a comeback win and a ticket to the final.

Post-match, captain Joshua Kimmich didn't hold back in his assessment, pointing to a lackluster display from his team.

“That was one of our worst performances. We fully deserved to lose. We didn’t do enough—on or off the ball. After taking the lead, we completely collapsed. We must take lessons from this. Without intensity, we can't keep up with the top sides in Europe,” Kimmich said.

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France, too, experienced heartbreak in their semifinal, falling behind 4-0 and later 5-1 to Spain in a high-scoring thriller. Despite a late surge that nearly pulled them level, they were edged out 5-4 in the end.

Looking ahead to the upcoming clash with Germany, France manager Didier Deschamps noted the quick turnaround and hinted at squad rotation.

“It will be a different kind of match. There’s not much time to rest. Both teams will make changes. We’ll do our best to recover and go for the win,” Deschamps stated.

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Germany will still be without several important players, including Antonio Rudiger, Jamal Musiala, and Kai Havertz, though no new injuries have emerged.

France will also be missing key names—Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola are unavailable, and defender Clement Lenglet is expected to sit out as well, according to RMC Sport.

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE

Third-place game

Sunday

16.00: (2.40) Germany (3.70) France (2.75)

Final

Sunday

22.00: (3.80) Portugal (3.85) Spain (1.90)

***odds are subject to change***