Netherlands and Greece will both be eyeing the top spot in Group 2 when they face each other on Friday at the Johan Cruijff Arena.
Both Netherlands and Greece are unbeaten in the Nations League and will be eager to keep that record intact when they face each other in the penultimate League A fixture after October’s 2-2 draw.
The home team are currently top of the group with eight points in their four outings. After a disappointing World Cup campaign where they got knocked out of the round of 32, they started their Nations League campaign with a draw against Germany.
While they won both home and away against Serbia, they could only manage a draw against Greece. Having said that, Xavi’s men are still top of the group even though it’s only because of a better goal difference. A win here could pretty much guarantee them the top spot and a place in the knockout stages.
Not many would have expected Greece to be second on the table, level on points with 1st-placed Netherlands in a group that also has Germany. They started their campaign with back-to-back wins over Serbia and Germany.
While they maintained their unbeaten start, they could only manage a draw against the Netherlands and in the reverse fixture against Germany. They are firmly in contention for a place in the quarter-finals, and a win here could be massive for a team that was only promoted from League B last time around.
While they do have a game against Serbia coming up after this, Greece would like to get within touching distance of the next round with a positive result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Xavi will be without the services of Ryan Gravenberch, Kenneth Taylor, Brian Brobbey and Virgil Van Dijk during this international break.
Sepp van den Berg comes into the squad to help them cope with the absence of Van Dijk.
The Dutch will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Bart Verbruggen expected to start in goal. Denzel Dumfries and Micky van de Ven will feature as the full-backs, while Jurrien Timber will partner with Jan Paul van Hecke in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Quinten Timber could join Frenkie de Jong and Joey Veerman in a three-man unit. The trio will look to shield the backline and control the tempo of the game.
Crysencio Summerville and Cody Gakpo are expected to provide width, while Donyell Malen could lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Verbruggen; Dumfries, J. Timber, Van Hecke, Van de Ven; Q. Timber, De Jong, Veerman; Summerville, Malen, Gakpo
The visitors will be without the services of Christos Zafeiris and Manolis Saliakas, as the duo will serve a suspension in this fixture. Georgios Masouras and Christos Tzolis, who missed the last international break because of injury, are both back fit and available for selection.
Greece will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Konstantinos Tzolakis will feature in goal. Georgios Vagiannidis and Kostas Tsimikas will be the full-backs, while Konstantinos Mavropanos and Konstantinos Koulierakis will take charge in the heart of the defence.
Dimitrios Kourbelis and Thanasis Androutsos could form the central midfield pairing, while Masouras and Tzolis are expected to provide width from the flanks.
Up front, Fotis Ioannidis and Vangelis Pavlidis could lead the attack in a two-man strike partnership.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Tzolakis; Vagiannidis, Mavropanos, Koulierakis, Tsimikas; Masouras, Kourbelis, Androutsos, Tzolis; Ionannidis, Pavlidis
Malen, who completed a permanent move to AS Roma in the summer, is off to a flying start to the season. In his 14 outings across competitions, he has scored 12 goals and bagged five assists. He has contributed towards a goal in each of his last seven outings for the Italian giants.
Given the kind of form he has been in, Malen will certainly be a part of the starting XI, and it won’t be much of a surprise if he ends up getting his name on the scoresheet. The 27-year-old will certainly have a big say in the end result of the game.
Both teams have made impressive starts to their Nations League campaigns, and there is very little to separate them heading into this contest. Greece have shown defensive resilience, conceding just three goals in four matches, while their attacking options could cause problems for the Dutch backline.
However, the Netherlands have the advantage of playing at home and possess greater attacking depth. Malen’s excellent form could prove decisive, while Gakpo and Summerville should provide plenty of threat from the flanks.
Greece are capable of making this a difficult contest, as they did in the reverse fixture, but Xavi’s men should have enough quality to edge it and strengthen their position at the top of the group. The Hard Tackle predicts a narrow 2-1 win for the home team.
