UEFA Nations League: Belgium vs Netherlands Match Preview And Predictions 03/06/2022
Belgium finished fourth at the UEFA Nations League 2020-21, losing to Italy in the third-place playoff. Will they be able to get a better run this time?
First up for Belgium is the Netherlands on Friday night. The Dutch go into the game as one of the favourites to win Group 4 and qualify for the final four. The Netherlands reached the final of the inaugural Nations League in 2019, losing to Portugal.
Belgium are unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions. Most recently, the Red Devils drew 2-2 with Ireland and won 3-0 against Burkina Faso in international friendlies.
League A Group 4 kicked off on Wednesday night with Wales visiting Poland in the first match. Poland won the game 2-1 to take an early lead in the group. Belgium and the Netherlands are now chasing the Polish team.
Belgium’s golden generation is running out of time to win silverware. The UEFA Nations League and the World Cup later this year could be the final opportunities for Belgium to win anything with this group.
Netherlands are on a nine-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. The Oranje posted a win in March against Denmark 4-2 and a 1-1 draw with Germany.
Louis van Gaal has returned as coach and will take the Dutch into the game ranked No. 10 in the world.
The Netherlands hold a head-to-head advantage over Belgium with 55W-31D-41L dating back to 1905.
However, the Dutch failed to defeat Belgium in their last eight head-to-head meetings. The last two matches between these teams both finished 1-1.
Team News:
Belgium's Romelu Lukaku will hope to put a terrible 2021-22 campaign for Chelsea behind him with the national team. He will likely start in attack with Kevin De Bruyne pulling the strings in midfield. Simon Mignolet is likely to start in goal.
For the Netherlands, Virgil van Dijk will anchor the defence. Van Dijk could be partnered by Nathan Ake, Matthijs de Ligt, or Stefan de Vrij. Valencia’s Jasper Cillessen could start in goal, while Memphis Depay could lead the line.
BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE.
