Netherlands and Czech Republic will clash on Sunday, June 27, at Puskás Aréna for their opening EURO 2020 knockout stage bout. It will mark the first meeting between these two sides since October 2015, when the Czech won 3-2, having previously beaten the Oranje 2-1 in September 2019.
Netherlands vs Czech Republic
When: Sunday, June 27 – 18:00 CEST
Where: Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary
Weather: Mostly Sunny, 29°C
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Netherlands made it to the second stage of EURO 2020 as Group C winners, where they secured all nine points with an excellent 8-2 goal difference. On the other side, the Czech Republic finished third in Group D with a 1-1-1 record and 3-2 goal difference, which was good enough to finish EURO 2020 group stage as the second-rated third-placed team at the tournament.
By securing a spot in the final 16, the Czech Republic made it out of groups at an international tournament for the first time since EURO 2012, where they lost to Portugal (0-1). Now they have their second shot at making a deep run at EURO, hoping to emulate their third-place finish in 2004.
The Oranje Might Not Be As Good As It Seems
Netherlands deserve all the praise they can get for ending EURO 2020 groups with a perfect record; however, it seems like they overperformed and are arguably not as good as those results might suggest.
Looking back at their EURO 2020 group victories, Frank de Boer’s men weren’t very convincing against Ukraine, seeing how they conceded twice and only barely managed to walk away victorious, thanks to Denzel Dumfries’ goal in 85.
Fast forward to their last match of the tournament against North Macedonia, Netherlands won 3-0, however, the Lions floundered a bit that day and would definitely look much better had they shown the same form they have in some of their other bouts.
Netherlands were still the best team in their group, but it’s not like they were as impressive as some other top dogs. They like to attack (scored +2 goals in 10 straight games), but their style leaves them exposed (conceded two goals in two of their last five).
Czech Republic Here To Impress
The Chech Republic aren’t one of the favourites to win the trophy, but they have been playing well enough to earn respect. The Locomotive finished group D in third with a 1-1-1 record, four points, and 3-2 goal difference. They won against Scotland (2-0), drew with Croatia (1-1) and lost against England (0-1).
In their last game of EURO 2020 groups, Czech Republic lost to England, albeit it was a solid effort. They made England work hard for the win, and while the hosts were the better team, you have to show some respect to Jaroslav Šilhavý’s men, who held on well against a much more stacked side who on top of that played on their home turf.
Results like that can quickly be dismissed as England playing poorly, but it was more the case with the Czech playing well.
For this match, Czech Republic won’t be able to count on suspended Jan Boril. Skipper Vladimir Darida is questionable, although he is likely to feature. There are no other injury concerns outside of that for the Czech team.
Netherlands vs Czech Republic Betting Picks
This game will be played in Hungary, marking the first match of EURO 2020, where the Netherlands won’t be able to enjoy the support from their home crowd. Although there will be quite a few supporters in the stands, the atmosphere won’t be as intimidating for the Czech Republic as it would have been had this match was played in Amsterdam.
You can also expect Hungarian fans to be far more supportive of the Czech side, which should result in a more hostile atmosphere for de Boer’s men. The Oranje are still a better team, largely due to the talent they field, but the bookmakers overvalue them at this price.
If the Czech team managed to keep England at one goal at Wembley, they should do well against the Netherlands on neutral ground as well.
Prediction: Czech Republic +1.00 Asian Handicap – 1.85 at Pinnacle
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