UEFA Nations League Semifinals: Netherlands vs Croatia Odds
European Powerhouses Face Off
Berth in Sunday’s Final on the Line
Morocco and also finished first in their group in the UEFA Nations League last Summer. Now, Croatia head to the Netherlands for the first time to take on the Group 4 winners. The Netherlands managed the most wins in the group stage and the t-best goal difference. With the advantage of playing at home, they’ll be confident of sealing a berth in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League final. Let’s take a look at the Netherlands vs Croatia odds as two of Europe’s elite face off.
UEFA Nations League Semifinals
Netherlands vs Croatia
Date, time:
Location: De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Head-to-Head
betting on soccer games should know that this is the first time Croatia are taking on the Oranje in the Netherlands.
Netherlands Outright Favorites in Nations League
- Standings: 5-1-0, 1st Group 4
- Key Absences: F Memphis Depay (Out)
The Netherlands dominated UEFA NAtions League A, Group 4 last Summer. They pulled off a sweep over rivals Argentina but put up a fight. The Netherlands lost in penalties after Wout Weghorst scored two late goals to send the match into extra time.
Many of the same names from the World Cup squad are in the side for the UEFA Nations League finals. Defenders Nathan Ake and Denzel Dumfries played in Saturday’s Champions League final, which Ake’s City won 1-0, but they’re both available for selection on Wednesday.
Key players Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong should certainly be on the team sheet for this match in Rotterdam. Forward Memphis Depay is out with an injury, which means we could see a lot of World Cup breakout star Cody Gakpo.
Meanwhile, Georginio Wijnaldum is back in the squad after missing the World Cup due to injury. The midfielder has scored an impressive 26 goals in 88 international appearances. However, Depay was the Oranje’s leading scorer in the group stage, with three goals. Gakpo, Dumfries and Steven Bergwijn all added two apiece. Since the World Cup, Ronald Koeman has taken over as coach and he’s put together a 1-1 record so far.
In his first match, the Netherlands lost 4-0 to in a March World Cup qualifier. They bounced back to beat Gibraltar 3-0 a few days later. Notably, the UEFA Nations League odds price the Netherlands as +200 outright favorites.
Croatia Close to First Major Trophy
- Standings: 4-1-1, 1st Group 1
- Key Absences: D Josko Gvardiol
Croatia have performed excellently at recent tournaments but one thing still evades them: a major trophy. The Vatreni came in third place at Qatar 2022 and were runners-up four years earlier. Now, they’re making their first appearance in the UEFA Nations League semifinals and are two wins away from silverware. There’s a lot of continuity in this Croatia side and it starts from the top down.
Coach Zlatko Dalic, who presided over the second and third-place finishes at the World Cup will still be on the touchline. Captain Luka Modric, at 37 years old, is still putting in incredible performances in midfield as well.
Unfortunately, Croatia are missing key defender Josko Gvardiol due to injury. He did only make two appearances in the group stage, though. In the group stage, Croatia managed to finish ahead of both Denmark and . Their only loss wa to Austria, as they put together a 4-1-1 record.
Modric led Croatia with two goals in the group stage and he is the lynchpin in an excellent midfield. Along with Modric, Dalic’s options in the center of the park include Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic and Mario Pasalic.
In defense, Dalic has some choices to make. Dejan Lovren has retired and Gvardiol is out, so two of Martin Erlic, Josip Sutalo and Josip Stanisic could start in center defense.
Combined, they’ve only made 19 international appearances. The experienced Domagoj Vida is also an option but he was an unused substitute at the World Cup. In any case, the Netherlands vs Croatia odds price Croatia as underdogs here.
Match Analysis and Odds
The Netherlands are hosting both the semifinals and final of the UEFA Nations League, so home-field advantage figures to come into play here. In front of their home fans, the Oranje are 0.5-goal favorites. They come in at both even ATS and moneyline odds as Croatia +0.5 shows -130 odds.
Croatia have lost just one of their last 15 matches but the Netherlands vs Croatia odds price the Vatreni as +275 underdogs.
Even though they managed to finish third, Croatia drew four of their seven matches at the World Cup. A draw displays +230 odds here and one would mean extra time and potentially penalties.
Whatever defensive lineup Zlatko Dalic decides to go with here, it will be one that hasn’t played together very often. The Netherlands will be well aware of that fact and bettors should expect the Oranje to take the game to Croatia.
Still, the strength of Croatia’s midfield means that they can compete with virtually any team. In what’s expected to be a low scoring match, under 2.5 goals are priced at -150 odds. Should the Netherlands win, they’ll seal their second appearance in the Nations League final. Meanwhile, this is Croatia’s first appearance in the semis.
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