Verdict: HT 1
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In the opening round of the latest Nations League competition, the Netherlands takes on Bosnia Herzegovina. The two teams compete in the Nations League Group A, the top division of European football. The game will be played on Saturday night at Philips Stadium from Eindhoven, where over 35000 fans expect to see a win for the Clockwork Orange.
Netherlands
After an impressive output in Germany at the European tournament that ended with a defeat against England in the semi-final, the Netherlands seek now redemption in the UEFA Nations League. The hosts are familiar with this competition, which they were close to winning in the previous edition but failed short again in the semi-final against Croatia.
Despite cruising through the group phase at that time, the situation seems to be different now with a new format that brings back the classic progress in which the first two teams of each group from League A will qualify for the quarter-finals. Although this brings more excitement to the competition since the best of Europe will go against each other for a place in the final, the underdogs are unlikely to reach the last step.
With the eyes on the next crunch game against Germany, the hosts must open their campaign with a win to keep their qualification hopes alive. Still, despite being seen as favourites to reach the quarter-finals alongside Germany from Group 3, the match against Hungary seems to be the one that will settle the final standing.
Ronald Koeman aims for his team to continue the fast-paced attacking football that produced great results at the Euro 2024 with 11 goals scored, the match against France (0-0 final score) being the only game when the Dutch strikers missed the target.
Team News
Liverpool ace Cody Gakpo will spearhead the attacking line. Although the Liverpool striker failed to break the rankings at Liverpool under the new boss, Arne Slot, Ronald Koeman is not worried about his striker s limited play time at his club. Still, the situation is different for Ryan Gravenberch, a regular starter for Liverpool, a position that could see him in the lineup against Bosnia Herzegovina.
Furthermore, despite being without a club after ending his contract with Atletico Madrid earlier in the summer, Memphis Depay is expected to start up-front alongside Cody Gakpo and RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons. The trio played at the highest level at the recently ended Euro 2024, bringing a massive contribution to their team by reaching the competition s semi-finals.
However, Ronald Koeman was critical of former Tottenham ace Steven Bergwijn for choosing a big-money move to Saudi Arabia outfit All Itthihad, leaving him out of the squad.
Bosnia Herzegovina
Bosnia Herzegovina is in a free fall after losing their last six games. This situation positioned the visitors as the clear outsiders in a group alongside Germany, Netherlands and Hungary. Although the Dragons achieved promotion to the elite of European football after winning their Group from League B, the recent slump positions the visitors as underdogs.
Despite a disastrous Euro 2024 qualification campaign (W3L7), Bosnia Herzegovina secured a play-off position that could have brought the visitors to Germany. However, the team led by prolific striker Edin Dzeko lost against Ukraine, ending their dream of reaching for the first time a European final tournament.
While the defeat against Ukraine was a major disappointment that led to Savo Milosevic leaving his role as head coach, appointing Sergeij Barbarez failed to make the desired impact. Under his command, Bosnia Herzegovina suffered defeats against England (3-0) and Italy (1-0) in two friendly games that further pointed out the visitors weak defence and upfront problems.
Team News
Bosnia Herzegovina s renowned goal scorer, Edin Dzeko, is enjoying another fantastic campaign. Under Jose Mourinho, Dzeko scores for fun domestically and in Europe for Fenerbahce. The Bosnia Herzegovina veteran heads towards another season aiming to improve on his national team record-breaking 65 strikes.
Key factors to consider
Netherlands scored 11 goals at the Euro 2024
The hosts single game played at home against Bosnia Herzegovina returned a 3-1 win
Bosnia Herzegovina promoted to Nations League Group A after winning their group B last season
The visitors lost the previous six games played across all competitions
Conclusion
With a packed attacking line that includes Cody Gakpo, Memphis Depay and Xavi Simons, we expected the hosts to exploit the weakened Bosnia Herzegovina defensive line and lead before the halftime whistle.
Verdict: HT 1
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