The Dutch reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024, but at the World Cup that summer they were knocked out by Morocco on penalties in the first round of the playoffs. Koeman was then replaced as head coach by Xavi, who began his tenure with a draw against Germany. They trailed their current opponents 2-0, but struck twice in the second half to snatch a draw. They did, however, beat bottom side Serbia twice.
Greece have been the biggest surprise in at least this group. They opened with a comeback win over Serbia, then somehow managed to beat Germany as well. They later settled for draws at home: they let a two-goal lead slip against the Dutch and played out a 0-0 draw with Germany.
Gakpo and company score two goals per game and concede 1.2. Their audacious opponents score once per match and concede 0.9.
Previous matches: Netherlands – Greece
The Dutch have won nine of their 12 meetings, with just one defeat.
At home, Xavi’s men look capable of taking all three points — they will win (odds: 1.6).
Netherlands – Greece: key stats and trends
The Netherlands have won five of their last nine matches
Both teams have scored in 90% of the Netherlands’ matches, with an average of 3.2 total goals per game
Greece have gone unbeaten in their last four matches
Both teams have scored in 40% of Greece’s matches, with an average of 1.9 total goals per game
Netherlands – Greece: possible starting lineups
The Netherlands play in a 1-4-3-3 formation (possible lineup): Verbruggen — Dumfries, Timber, van Dijk, van de Ven — Veerman, Til, Timber — Somerville, Meerdink, van Bommel
Greece play in a 1-4-4-2 formation (possible lineup): Tzolakis — Saliakas, Mavropanos, Retsos, Tsimikas — Karetsas, Kourbelis, Androutsos, Tzolis — Pavlidis, Ioannidis
