Netherlands host Germany in the UEFA Nations League in a match that’s crucial for both sides having not won their opening fixture. For Netherlands it’s essential to not lose because they could fall behind both Germany and France by 4 points whereas, Germany themselves are fighting to stay the course with France and get away from the Dutch. Both nations are currently going through a resurgence period therefore this shapes up to be a very interesting match.
Key Facts
Netherlands have lost 5 of their last 8 matches against League A opposition. Only winning 1 and drawing while conceding 12 goals.
Netherlands have failed to beat Germany in 6 straight H2H matches. 4D 2L.
Memphis Depay has been the biggest goal threat for Netherlands recently having scored 5 goals in his last 8 appearances for the Dutch.
On average there have been 2.4 goals scored in the last 10 games that the Dutch were involved. 5 overs and 5 unders (2.5 total)
Germany have only won 3 of their previous 11 games having just scored 10 goals in those.
Germany have only kept 2 clean sheets in their previous 11 games having conceded 12 goals.
There have only been 2 goals scored on average in Germany’s previous 11 games. 5 overs 6 unders (2.5 total)
Germany have only just won 2 of their previous 10 matches against league A opposition in 90 minutes. 7 draws 1 loss. They’ve drawn their previous 4 against League A oppo.
Team News
Netherlands: Ronald Koeman has nearly a full strength side coming into this international break and the match against the Germans. Only missing piece will be the midfielder Davy Propper. A little surprisingly, Justin Kluivert could not get into the Dutch squad this month however, there are some fresh faces that Koeman have chosen including Bergwijk and Dumfries. We can expect Koeman to pick a full strength starting 11 from the players that he has with those including one of the best Centre Backs in the world in Virgil Van Dijk then moving forward the likes of Wijnaldum, Promes, Depay are all available and should start for the Dutch. This is a winnable match for Netherlands, they proven that they can compete with the world’s best last month when they came close at snatching a point at France and now facing a team low on confidence they will for sure believe that this game is for the taking here. Expect an attacking mindset from the Dutch despite being labelled the “underdogs”.
Germany: Joachim Low has got quite a few key absentees coming into this match. Recently, Leon Goretzka pulled out with an injury and has joined Rudiger, Gundogan and Reus who will be out with injuries too meaning this could be quite a depleted German squad coming into this game. We should expect to see Leroy Sane feature from the start for Germany having put in some great performances for Man City and with Reus out, it’d surely be the smart move to start him now especially considering how badly Germany need someone to get their attack going as it’s struggled in recent games. As for the backline, with Rudiger out, it’s pretty much guaranteed that Hummels and Boateng will make the CB duo. Elsewhere, expect many other 1st team regulars to feature including Neuer, Kimmich, Werner and Muller. It’s going to be a crucial game for Germany as they look to gain some momentum going after some really disappointing recent results.
Betting Tips and Predictions
Looking at this game, we would disagree with Germany being booked as favourites, reputation is the only reason they’re the favourites. On current form, the Dutch would be our pick to be a winner in this match. They have quick attacking players like Depay, Promes that will cause the German backline a ton of problems, we’ve seen how poorly Bayern Munich are defending right now whose 3 of the 4 defenders are Germany’s regular starters. Germany have a slow back line and that’s why we think the Dutch will break them down. Defensively, we’d also favour the Netherlands to stop the German attack as the Dutch have some really good defenders including Virgil van Dijk who is playing phenomenal football right now plus, we’ve got to consider how out of sorts the German attack looks right now. Netherlands to win at 3.20 holds a ton of value, even the 0.0 Dutch handicap at 2.20 is a good pick. Depay to score anytime is a bet worth the look considering he’s the biggest threat from the Netherlands squad, he’s going to have a big game here. Our prediction is a 2-0 win for the home side.
Match Odds (TonyBet)
Netherlands Win – 3.20
Draw – 3.50
Germany Win – 2.20
KICK OFF – 13th October 2018 – 7:45pm UK Time
