Ahead of the Nations League fixtures due to take place from the 5th-10th September, many international teams have a reasonable alternative to their previous starting goalkeeper. Amongst these nations are Denmark, Ukraine, and Serbia.  

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For nearly a decade, Denmark's number one has been the pillar that is Kasper Schmeichel. Sprung into British public consciousness due to his prominence in Leicester's 2015/16 title triumph, Schmeichel has done exceptionally well to nurture a career great enough to step out of the shadow of his father Peter. By joining Celtic from Anderlecht, Schmeichel's intentions are clearly to prolong his elite career as long as possible. He is now 37 years old.  

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Waiting in the wings is Leicester’s current number one. Mads Hermansen was the Foxes' undisputed first choice last season in the Championship, and Steve Cooper has been content to give him an opportunity in the Premier League.  

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At Euro 2024, Schmeichel remained in the team but, thanks to a dreary last 16 exit without a single victory, manager Kasper Hjulmand resigned. Lars Knudsen has stepped in as caretaker. With Hermansen playing regularly, Schmeichel ageing, and a new international cycle beginning, it feels like now would be a sensible time to switch. 

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The third goalkeeper in the squad is Peter Vindahl Jensen of Sparta Prague, but he is unlikely to be first choice. Chelsea's Filip Jörgensen will find himself in many squads to come, as long as he progresses from Chelsea's backup to regular football at some point soon in his career. 

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For Ukraine, the situation is different. Iconic striker Serhiy Rebrov has continued as manager following a disappointing Euros group stage elimination, a tournament in which the number one jersey shifted.  

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Andriy Lunin’s stint as Real Madrid keeper opened the door to the starting berth for the national team. However, after a poor performance in the nation’s 3-0 loss to Romania, Rebrov ruthlessly replaced Lunin with Anatoliy Trubin. 

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At 23, Trubin is two years Lunin’s junior. Playing for Benfica, Trubin has elevated his status to that of one of Europe’s outstanding goalkeepers in recent years, featuring in the majority of matches for the Lisbon club as they came second in the league last season. He will feel the jersey is his to lose at this point, but the two both sit on 13 caps, and Rebrov is likely to pick between them purely on merit. 

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Despite such talent, the goalkeeper with the most caps in the squad is Heorhiy Bushchan. As the starting goalkeeper in Euro 2020, when Ukraine reached the quarter-finals, Bushchan has a genuine claim to the starting berth as the most experienced of the group. With that said, he does only have eighteen caps and plays outside Europe’s top leagues at Dynamo Kyiv. Ukraine have immense depth in the position between the sticks and should be grateful for such a pool of quality in goal. 

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The final example of this fascinating triumvirate of competition is Serbia. The Euro 2024 starting keeper was Predrag Rajković, but by playing his club football for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, the ex-Reims stopper has reduced his chances of maintaining his position.  

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Torino’s Vanja Milinković-Savić will be disappointed to have missed out on the squad, and is one of four goalkeepers based in Italy to have been called up prior yet missed out on this squad to play Spain and Denmark.  

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Rajković’s primary competition comes for Đorđe Petrović, who was signed by Strasbourg on a loan deal from fellow BlueCo-owned club, Chelsea. Many Chelsea fans were disappointed to see Petrović leave. Strong performances throughout last season endeared him to the Stamford Bridge faithful in the absence of Robert Sánchez, and subsequently kept him out of the team. 

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Since Édouard Mendy’s purple patch in around 2021, the Blues haven’t had a consistent keeper between the sticks. Between Kepa Arrizabalaga and Sánchez, errors leading to goals remained high. Enzo Maresca’s decision to install Sánchez as his number one has been criticised by some, especially with Petrović leaving, but the Spaniard has stepped up to the task so far in 2024/25. 

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New international cycles often usher in unusual names, as new managers find their feet and the squad age demographic shifts due to retirements and emerging stars. This is when teams are their least settled. Team solidity starts with a confident goalkeeper, so it will be intriguing to see how these three nations settle their competitions for the number one jersey.