Netherlands vs Croatia - Expect tough battle between in-form teams in Nations League
- George Dempsey
- 13 June 2023
The Netherlands host Croatia at De Kuip, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s Nations League final.
The winner of Thursday's Spain vs Italy clash will await the victors here, with both the Netherlands and Croatia in good form.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Nations League semi-final, Wednesday June 14, Kick-off 7:45pm, live on Viaplay Sports 1
Predicted score
Suggested bets
Under 2.5 goals
Both teams to score
Match to be a draw after 90 minutes
Key stats
The Netherlands have lost just one of their last 13 competitive fixtures, a 4-0 defeat against France in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
The Netherlands have won seven of their last eight Nations League matches and remain unbeaten in their previous 10.
Croatia recorded a third-place finish at the World Cup, beating Morocco 2-1.
Croatia have won their last four Nations League matches, including 1-0 victories away to France and Denmark.
Netherlands vs Croatia team news
Memphis Depay (calf) may be unavailable due to injury, leaving Steven Bergwijn, Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons to start in attack.
Matthijs de Ligt (calf) is also unavailable after picking up an injury in training, so Sven Botman could partner Virgil van Dijk in defence.
Marko Livaja (personal) and Josko Gvardiol (groin) are expected to miss out for visitors Croatia, who should field their usual midfield trio of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic.
Verdict
Both of these teams come into this semi-final in great form and it's hard to predict who will advance to Sunday's Nations League final.
The Netherlands will have the advantage of playing both games on home soil, but Croatia have shown their qualities time and time again and so shouldn't be written off.
The visitors have only lost once in the last 12 months, a 3-0 defeat to World Cup winners Argentina in Qatar.
The standout result during their recent run of form is surely a 1-0 victory in France. Luka Modric scored the only goal of the game after five minutes and Zlatko Dalic's men held on.
The Netherlands suffered a 4-0 defeat at Stade de France and although it's not fair to directly compare the results, it's a reminder of how gritty Croatia can be.
The hosts were free-scoring in the earlier stages of the Nations League, netting 14 times in six matches but conceding four in three home matches.
This will be the first meeting between the sides since 2008 so there's no recent head-to-head to consider, but the nature of their campaigns do offer some clues.
Ronald Koeman's side have scored more and conceded fewer on their travels. Their attacking nature has left them susceptible at home.
Croatia have struggled at home and typically fare better when they're asked to defend, which they'll happily do here.
They dropped five points at home but won all three away matches, beating Denmark 1-0 and Austria 3-1.
