Netherlands will clash with North Macedonia at Johan Cruijff Arena on Monday, June 21, in their final EURO 2020 group fixture. It will mark the first clash between these two nations since the 2009 World Cup qualifiers when the Netherlands won 4-0 and only their fifth since 2004.
Netherlands vs North Macedonia
When: Monday, June 21 – 18:00 CEST
Where: Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Weather: Cloudy 15°C
Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Netherlands are already through to the next stage of EURO 2020, whereas North Macedonia are guaranteed elimination. While there’s nothing left to fight for neither side, there’s still pride at stake, particularly for the EURO newcomers, who will want to end their tournament debut with a bang.
If North Macedonia win today, it would be one of the tournament’s biggest upsets, but unfortunately, it would be a win that won’t change much in the greater picture.
North Macedonia Playing For Pride
North Macedonia know their chances to win this evening are slim to none, but that shouldn’t discourage them from putting on a show. The Lions have fought well in their EURO 2020 openers and did not disappoint with goals against Ukraine and Austria.
And while the Lions have proven they can be deadly in the attack, they have also demonstrated that defence isn’t their strong suit, and even that’s an understatement. North Macedonia have conceded three goals against Austria and twice against Ukraine.
North Macedonia aren’t very good, but they deserve some praise for playing very open football, which shows confidence. But, unfortunately, as impressive as that is, it hasn’t earned them any good results so far.
An additional concern is that North Macedonia now need to travel to Amsterdam, away from Bucharest, where they had support from home fans. What’s more, they’re going to face the best-performing team in Group C, who was very effective in scoring goals against teams with much better defences.
The Oranje Eyeing A Perfect Record
With a 3-2 victory against Ukraine and 2-0 against Austria, Netherlands are already through to the next round. To end their impressive run through the group stage, the Oranje will face one of the tournament’s weakest teams.
The Netherlands don’t necessarily need to win here and will instead preserve their energy for the knockout stage. With that in mind, we might see Frank de Boer rotate his starting XI a bit to keep his key players fit, meaning Memphis Depay could be starting the game from the bench.
That, however, shouldn’t harm the Oranje too much as they have more than enough talent on the bench. In fact, Netherlands might look just as deadly as they have up to now, as anyone who will enter the starting XI will be hungry to impress and prove he is ready to play in the knockout stage.
Netherlands vs North Macedonia Betting Picks
Netherlands are already guaranteed to finish the group first, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try and end the group stage with a bang. Keeping the momentum going will be crucial for their success in the next stage, and the Oranje surely won’t want to see it break in half with a disappointing performance against the Lions.
North Macedonia have proven to be reasonably effective in the attack, so there is a chance they might add their third goal of the tournament here. However, the team seems to be running out of steam and scoring a goal against the Netherlands won’t be as easy as it was against Austria and Ukraine.
The Oranje have already scored five goals against stronger teams, which includes three against Ukraine. If those performances are any indication, the hosts shouldn’t struggle to score a few today either.
Prediction: Netherlands -2.00 Asian Handicap – 2.20 at Sportmarket
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