Thursday 24th September – 7:45pm BST
🌍 UEFA Nations League ⚽
🇳🇱 Netherlands vs. Germany 🇩🇪
INTRO
Thursday evening sees the International Break return and the Nations League kick off with a huge Group A clash. The Oranje host Germany at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam as this historic rivalry enters a new chapter as two icons of the game make their competitive international debuts. Xavi Hernández takes the reins for the Netherlands, while Jürgen Klopp assumes command of Germany following their post-World Cup rebuild.
NETHERLANDS
Xavi is looking to implement a bold, attacking philosophy right away, a shift heavily discussed in the Dutch media. According to De Telegraaf this week, his decision to omit all-time leading scorer Memphis Depay signals a definitive changing of the guard, while he recently called up AZ’s Mexx Meerdink, who I personally think is incredibly overrated, as a fresh replacement for the injured Donyell Malen, likewise, I think isn’t what is cracked up to be. So the number nine position may be problem, but Brian Brobbey’s weekend hat-trick for Sunderland against Manchester City makes a compelling case for him to retain the starting striker spot he held during Ronald Koeman’s tenure. Crysencio Summerville and Cody Gakpo should be relied upon to exploit the wide channels.
The Dutch are navigating a depleted midfield with Justin Kluivert and Frenkie de Jong ruled out, while defensively, Matthijs de Ligt is dealing with a back issue. The old guard of Virgil van Dijk anchors the backline, likely alongside Jan Paul van Hecke or Micky van de Ven.
GERMANY
Jürgen Klopp’s era begins with a significantly retooled squad following a wave of retirements from veterans like Manuel Neuer and Antonio Rüdiger. Joshua Kimmich takes over the captaincy. Marc-André ter Stegen is expected to get the starting nod over Alexander Nübel in goal and in the centre of the park, Jamal Musiala will pull the strings in a 4-2-3-1 system, bringing sensational form into the international window.
Nico Schlotterbeck is looking to recover from injury to start for Klopp, or may wait a week or so before climbing back into the side. Jonathan Tah should start regardless. Attackers like Karim Adeyemi and Kai Havertz are set to provide the firepower up front and Lennart Karl, just 18, is tipped to start on the right
PREDICTIONS
It is a bit of unknown but I feel a high-scoring affair will develop here with both sides finding a goal. They both possess attacking quality while fielding somewhat experimental defensive setups. Although both teams are under new management, Germany and the Netherlands have both seen both teams to score land in all five of their last five fixtures.
Historically, Germany holds the upper hand, having lost only once in their last seven clashes with the Oranje, though the Netherlands have not lost on home soil in 90 minutes since October 2023.
Klopp has a lot of work to do after the Germans showed a poor showing at the World Cup, losing to Ecuador then being held against Paraguay before crashing out in the Round of 32 on penalties. The Dutch had a better showing, undefeated in the group stages before losing on pens to Morocco, who equalised with virtually the last kick (header) of the game to tie the game up.
A Bet Builder with a Dutch win or Draw, Over 2.5 Goals with BTTS pays £24.55 off £10.
| ⚽️ BET BUILDER Netherlands or Draw – Double Chance Both Teams to Score Over 2.5 Goals 💷 1pt Best Odds: 2.46 at Sky Bet |
Please gamble responsibly. BeGambleAware.org