Germany vs Netherlands

One of the most heavily anticipated fixtures in the UEFA Nations League calendar pits Germany and the Netherlands against each other at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

Despite having two second-half goals disallowed by VAR, Germany squeaked past Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-1 last week to go two points clear at Group A3’s summit after three matchdays. Julian Nagelsmann’s men have racked up two wins thus far, barring a goal-glutted 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in the reverse fixture, which extended their unbeaten H2H run to three matches (W1, D2). Stretching that streak with a win would likely fire ‘Die Mannschaft’ to the newly formatted quarter-finals, a feat they’ve failed to achieve in the past three Nations League editions. However, that’s far from a foregone conclusion, considering the Germans have got the better of the Dutch just twice in the last eight meetings between the sides (D4, L2). A high-scoring theme is on the cards, though. Indeed, the last six H2Hs have produced 24 goals and seen both teams score.

On the other hand, the Netherlands defied Virgil van Dijk’s late expulsion to take a 1-1 draw in Hungary last time out, making it two stalemates from their opening three Group A3 outings (W1). Van Dijk’s suspension is a monumental loss on paper. Yet Ronald Koeman’s men have fared well without their talismanic captain, suffering just one loss across their last 11 internationals without the Liverpool ace (W8, D2). The ‘Oranje’ will be out to extend their impressive seven-game unbeaten streak in away Nations League action (W4, D3) and potentially leapfrog Germany into the table’s summit with a win. It would likely require Koeman’s frontline to pack a punch, considering the visitors have conceded precisely once on five of their last six Nations League travels.