Despite another deflating World Cup outing, the Netherlands have been outstanding in the UEFA Nations League gathering 16 out of 18 points available to them.
La Oranje were handed a nerve-wracking defeat by eventual champions Argentina in Qatar but it hasn’t stopped them from dominating the Nations League. Ronald Koeman’s battalion have brushed aside teams like Belgium, Poland, and Wales to secure themselves a spot in the final-4 of the competition and will look to cross the final hurdle this time.
However, their 4-0 battering to France could serve as a point of concern for Koeman who is still looking to strike the perfect balance in his Dutch side.
The Dutch outfit have lost just a single game in their own backyard losing to Italy back in December 2020 and La Oranje would not want to break their streak against an ageing Croatian side. A win against the 2018 World Cup finalists will do them a round of good before entering the final showdown of the showpiece event.
Close but so far has been the theme of a Croatian side whose golden generation continue their hunt for their first piece of international silverware.
A disappointing heartbreak in the 2018 World Cup final followed up by a shocking 3-0 defeat to Argentina in Qatar, the Chequered Ones have consecutively faltered in the latter stages of the tournament. But having shell-shocked France in League A Group 1, Croatia will be injected with confidence when they travel to the Netherlands for the semi-finals.
Although Croatia’s record on the road last year was marked by 5 defeats, Zlatco Dalic’s men have turned around their fortunes playing away from their fortress in 2023 as they are riding high on a 3-game unbeaten streak.
Despite their scintillating away record, Croatia would have to be careful against La Oranje as they have been a crushing force in this edition of the Nations League.
Netherlands vs Croatia confirmed line-ups
Netherlands XI (4-3-3): Bijlow; Dumfries, Van Dijk, Geertruida, Ake; Wieffer, Koopmeiners, De Jong, Wijnaldum; Malen, Gakpo, Simons
Croatia XI (4-3-3): Livakovic; Juranovic, Sutalo, Vida, Perisic; Kovacic, Brozovic, Modric; Pasalic, Kramaric, Ivanusec
Netherlands vs Croatia LIVE updates
Netherlands and Croatia's upcoming fixtures
The winner of this encounter will lock horns with the winner of semi-final 2 to be held between Spain and Italy in the final of the Nations League scheduled to be held on the 19th of June. While the loser will play a match for the spot on the same date.