Netherlands v Croatia Prediction, Preview & Odds – Nations League Semi-Final
We have a Netherlands v Croatia prediction along with the betting odds for you ahead of their Nations League Semi-Final this Wednesday night.
How To Watch Netherlands v Croatia
When? 7.45 pm, Wednesday, June 14th
Where? Stadion Feijenoord ‘De Kuip’- Rotterdam
TV Channel? Virgin Media 2, Viaplay Sports 1
The Form – Netherlands v Croatia
The Netherlands’ Form
Ronald Koeman commenced his second spell in charge of The Netherlands in January (the first being between 2018-2020) following the resignation of Louis Van Gaal after their World Cup Quarter-Final elimination on penalties to eventual champions Argentina the previous month.
Van Gaal left with a win ratio of 70% in his third stint in charge from twenty matches. For comparison Ronald Koeman in his first spell had a win rate of 55% from his twenty matches in charge.
We’re two games into Koeman’s second spell, with his first game in charge coming against France back in March where they were completely outclassed. In the end the Dutch were defeated 4-0 on that night in Paris in their first Euro 2024 Qualifying Game.
They recovered from that defeat to win 3-0 against Gibraltar, albeit in a match which they would’ve been expected to win by an even bigger margin against the 201st side ranked in the world.
Croatia’s Form
Croatia have been one of the most consistent forces in International Football since Zlatko Dalic took over the national team in 2017. Dalic has overseen the most successful period in the country’s history having led them to the 2018 World Cup final and third place in the 2022 World Cup. That 2022 World Cup run to the semi-final included a quarter-final win over tournament favourites Brazil.
Their World Cup hopes were eventually dashed following their 3-0 loss at the hands of eventual champions Argentina in the semi-final. They won the third-place play-off game against Morocco 2-1 to earn bronze medals and cap off another successful major international tournament.
Croatia commenced their UEFA Euros Qualifying Campaign in March at home where a late Wales goal from Nathan Broadhead in the 93rd minute meant that they were held to a draw. However, the Croats bounced back by earning themselves a solid 0-2 victory against Turkey in their next qualifying game.
Welcome To The BoyleSports Blog & News Site
Let’s reward you with some Free Bets!
Sign up to BoyleSports in Ireland & GET €40 FREE BETS WHEN YOU BET €10! T&Cs apply
Sign up to BoyleSports in the UK & GET £20 FREE BETS WHEN YOU BET £10! T&Cs apply
Predicted Lineups
Netherlands Predicted XI
Croatia Predicted XI
Key Players To Watch
Virgil van Dijk
Despite arguably slowing down as a player this season at 31, the Netherlands captain remains their most crucial player. In their first game under Koeman where they were defeated 4-0 by France, he was the best performer of their back five.
It should also be noted that despite the heavy defeat France scored their four goals from an XG of 1.54 which was almost identical to theirs of 1.53, which proves they could consider themselves at least a little unlucky at the nature of the result.
However the same can’t be said of their performance against group minnows Gibraltar. The Dutch faced a team who had no shots on goal which shows the difference in quality they faced.
Croatia will of course be a bigger test but van Dijk remains a colossal modern-day defender who ranks in the 96th percentile for Passes Attempted, 88th for Pass Completion and 99th percentile for Touches in the attacking penalty area along with 92nd percentile for Aerials won. He sets the tone for the Dutch team every time he puts on the famous orange jersey.
Dominik Livaković
With many of the Croatian team getting to the latter period of their careers, goalkeeper Livaković at (28) is entering his prime. Following his performances at the World Cup along with at the club level for Dinamo Zagreb he has been him linked with moves to the likes of Villarreal and Manchester United.
Livaković is a modern-day goalkeeper, competent with the ball at his feet whilst also having the key fundamentals of being an excellent shot-stopper which he showed on numerous occasions during the 2022 World Cup. Furthermore, if there is a penalty or a penalty at any stage he has shown to be one of the best penalty savers in the world.
Netherlands v Croatia Head-To-Head Results
Croatia 0-3 Netherlands | 2008 International Friendly
Croatia 2-1 Netherlands | 1998 FIFA World Cup
Netherlands v Croatia Betting Odds
The odds makers make Netherlands EVS favourites to win in 90 minutes. The draw is priced up at odds of 11/5 while Croatia are 14/5 to win in 90 minutes.
The Netherlands are 1/2 to qualify for the Nations League final while Croatia are 6/4 to qualify.
Netherlands v Croatia Prediction & Best Bet
Prediction: Netherlands 1-2 Croatia
The Netherlands are in their second spell under Koeman and due to the contrasting differences in opposition for his first two games France and Gibraltar it is difficult to know where they are as a team right now.
Croatia however are a consistent outfit, constantly performing at the later stages of competitions since 2017 and despite being underdogs I think they can do enough to advance to this year’s Nations League final.
Best Bet: Croatia To Qualify @ 6/4
In this week’s other Nations League semi-final Spain play Italy. We previewed the game in our Spain v Italy Prediction post.
Click Below For All Our Netherlands v Croatia Odds
*Prices subject to fluctuation
Remember, always gamble responsibly. Here’s our Safer Gambling Guide.
Related Articles