Netherlands v England – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

The Netherlands faces England in the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-finals on Wednesday in Dortmund. The Dutch came from a goal down to beat Turkiye 2-1 in the last round. The Three Lions needed penalties to get past Switzerland after drawing 1-1. England have just one victory in their last nine clashes vs Oranje.

Netherlands Form

The Dutch had four losses in 2023 and a defeat to Germany in March 2004 in a friendly. Optimism wasn’t high ahead of the tournament, but they began Euro 2024 with a late 2-1-win vs Poland. A 0-0 draw vs France saw them outshot 15-8 by Les Bleus.

A 3-2 defeat to Austria in their final group match saw the Dutch finish second. A last-16 tie vs Romania was straightforward with a 3-0 win and 23 shots. In the quarter-finals, they came from behind to beat Turkiye 2-1 despite being outplayed for the first hour.

Netherlands Team News

The Netherlands have no suspensions for this match. Ronald Koeman will again have to decide between Steven Bergwijn and Donyell Malen for the right winger role.

Wout Weghorst will again be the main impact substitute. Koeman has his favourites so there won’t be many (or any) changes to the XI.

Netherlands Motivation

The Dutch lack some penetration to their passing and tend to rely on individual magic.

They’ve shown great spirit to win twice in this tournament having been 1-0 down. Motivation is high to end their semi-finals Euro jinx.

England Form

England have stumbled into the last four after a tournament of poor performances. A 1-0 win over Serbia saw good spells but a 1-1 draw vs Denmark was not a good display as they allowed 18 shots. A 0-0 draw with Slovenia in their final match was enough to secure the top spot in the Group.

In the round of 16, Gareth Southgate’s team were outplayed for long periods by Slovakia but scored a 95th minute equalised and then netted in the first minute of extra time to win 2-1. On Saturday, the Three Lions again scored late to equalise vs Switzerland in a 1-1 draw before winning on penalties.

England Team News

Gareth Southgate has centre-back Marc Guehi available after suspension. He will replace Ezri Konsa in the starting XI. No other changes are expected, and a back three could be retained.

Forward options like Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze are set to remain on the bench. Luke Shaw made a strong impression from the bench vs Switzerland but it’s too soon for him to start.

England Motivation

This side has character and motivation is high. However, England plays some of the slowest football in the tournament, and they carry very little threat on the break.

If trailing, Southgate has some useful subs to turn things around. If leading, England will sit back and be conservative.

Key Stats

Netherlands have lost their last 4 semi-final ties at the Euros

Netherlands winger Gakpo has 3 goals in Euro 2024

England are 5th in the FIFA Rankings whilst the Netherlands are ranked 7th

England have won just 1 of their last 8 matches vs Netherlands (4 draws, 4 losses)

Verdict

A very close match awaits. Both sides are capable of coming from behind as they’ve shown at the Euros so far. A score draw looks like the most likely result in 90 minutes.

Best Bet: Both Teams to Score at 2.00

Alternate Bet: Draw at 2.80

Goalscorer Tip: Gakpo to score anytime at 3.60 or Bellingham at 4.75

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis