UEFA Nations League 2018/19: 5 players to watch out for

UEFA Nations League, which began last month as a replacement for the usual International break for the countries under UEFA, will be back on this Thursday. However, the league had been criticised heavily, as Liverpool head coach, Jurgen Klopp, said: "The boys, unfortunately, go away again now and have to play Nations League games - the most senseless competition in the world of football."

After weeks of playing in their respective club leagues, the players will be back on the Nations League which features a total of 55 nations in four different groups.

Some of the European football giants to clash in the Nations League are England against Spain, France with Germany, and Poland against Italy.

We take a look at the top five players to watch out for this round of the Nations League matches.

1. Eden Hazard - Belgium

Eden Hazard was quite brilliant for Chelsea in the last few weeks in the Premier League. He scored a wonder goal against Liverpool which led to the exit of the Merseyside club in the third round of the Carabao Cup. He then went on to score on their Premier League game against the Reds and is currently sitting at the top of the table of the goal scorers with seven goals.

He also has an impressive record with his country as he played a total of 94 games and scored a total of 27 goals in all competitions. Thus with his current state and form, Belgium will rely on him as they are up against Switzerland.

2. Kylian Mbappe - France

The Frenchman who recently won the 2018 World Cup with France, and was voted the Best Young Player during the World Cup will be one of the players to watch this week as France take on Germany.

In his last game against Lyon, he scored four goals which helped PSG break an 82-year-old record of winning nine straight games at the start of a season.

His performance has also caught the attention of France manager, Didier Deschamps, as he said: "Kylian is doing some extraordinary things. What he can do at such a young age is not normal. You can't put him in any category. A player like him only appears occasionally. I'm privileged because he's French and he plays with us."

3. Luka Modric - Croatia

The Croatian captain was recently awarded as the FIFA Men's Best Player of the Year award, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah. Croatia, the runner-up of the 2018 World Cup, lost by six goals to nil against Spain in the Nations League opener.

However, Modric, who was known for his skills in the midfield, will be one that Croatia will depend on as they will take on England. These two teams last clash was in the World Cup semifinal match in which Croatia got the better of England 2-1.

4. Gylfi Sigurdsson - Iceland

The 29-year-old Everton midfielder has been quite a sensation as his form helped them beat Leicester City by two goals to one. According to Skysport stat, he is currently in the topmost form level beating the likes of Eden Hazard and Raheem Sterling in the midfield.

Iceland had a disastrous start to the UEFA Nations League where they lost both of their games against Switzerland and Belgium. However, with Sigurdsson in top form, he will be a crucial player to help Iceland take their first win in the Nations League.

5. Krzysztof Piatek - Poland

The Polish striker who has caught the eyes of various European giant clubs has added thirteen goals for Geona in eight games. Piatek who moved to Genoa for a reported fee of just £3.5 million in June could be one to take Genoa to the next level.

Piatek was not included in the Polish team ahead of the World cup and made his debut on September 2018 in a 1-1 draw friendly match against the Republic of Ireland. However, with his skill pieces and form, he will surely be a bomb in the front line for Poland in the upcoming Nation League matches against Portugal and Italy.

Edited by Emeka Monyei