Netherlands – England: each team continues to score goals/UN

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July 9, 2024

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Our prediction: Netherlands – England: each team to score further goals/UN

10.07.2024 21:00

England are in the semi-finals for the third time in the last four major tournaments, but that is the end of the list of positives from their performance at this year’s Euro. Albion and especially coach Gareth Southgate face criticism for lacklustre performances and only the title can save them. In the semi-finals they will be up against the offensively tuned Dutch, who advanced to the semi-finals of the European Championship despite a (below) average defence.

The English are a similar case to France, but unlike France, they will occasionally show glimpses of their immense potential. But they only stepped out of the grey when the chips were down, and only briefly. In the eighth-final against Slovakia (2-1 pp) they averted elimination by scissoring Bellingham in the last minute of stoppage time, and in the quarter-final against Switzerland (1-1, 5-3 on penalties) they turned up the gears when they netted in the 75th minute and Saka equalised five minutes later.

Otherwise, a poor performance from the most expensive team in the tournament. Southgate can’t assemble a workable team from players who shine at the best clubs in the world, they are playing well below their capabilities. Foden is a shadow of the Premier League’s best player, Kane is more valid in his own defending, Bellingham escaped punishment for an obscene gesture to celebrate a goal against Slovakia. In sum, England did far less than expected in Germany. Paradoxically, though, it may be enough for the final, with the Netherlands a playable opponent for Albion.

The Oranjes have scored nine goals in the championship, two against Poland (2-1) and three in the eighth-final against a mediocre Romania (3-0), for whom just getting out of the group was a great achievement. They were then put through to the semi-finals by the patriarch Müldüra, the match against Turkey (2-1) exposing their weaknesses in defence. They again conceded after a corner, a perennial problem for them, and resisted the pressure with great luck in the end, with the Turks getting all too easy chances. The Dutch have more strength in the offensive, with Gakpa in particular in excellent form in the tournament, scoring three goals and also contributing to the qualifying goal for the semi-finals. The big danger comes from the joker Weghorst.

What to bet on:

England are the paper favourites for the match, but they only won the first game against Serbia after 90 minutes. Either way, you can bet on both teams to score, which has happened in five of the last six matches.

Confidence:

6/10

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