After impressive start in the first game, Frank de Boer’s men will be taking on a tougher opposition, Austria. David Alaba and Co should be in the same level as Ukraine but with more high profile names, especially in Bundesliga. De Oranje will need to improve their defensive stance and the goalkeeper figure as they conceded twice while Austria would have had a cleansheet in the previous outing, should there have not been any blunder in the six-yard box. It will be a more intense game here.
Both teams’ previous games
Holland had a thrilling encounter in the opener before eventually sealed a dramatic 3-2 win over Ukraine. Gini Wijnaldum opened the scoring, followed by Wout Weighorst’s close range strike in front of goal mouth. Yet, Andrey Shevchenko’s side responded twice through Andrey Yarmolenko’s long shot and Roman Yaermchuk’s header. De Oranje’s winning goal finally came five minutes before the final whistle as Denzel Dumfries headed the ball nearby the post which Ukraine’s goalie was not able to deny.
Austria also secured a 3-1 win over North Macedonia. Stefan Lainer’s goal gave them the lead but Goran Pandev and Co managed to equalise as the skipper himself found the back of the net. At the second half, Franc Foda’s side added two more goals through Michael Gregoritsch’s tap into the back of the net and the senior Marko Arnautovic’s strike. It was enough to gave them a better start in their campaign after previously failed to win in their last two appearances in EURO 2008 and 2016.
Possible tactic
Frank de Boer is now confident with his 5-3-2 formation. Memphis Depay will be featuring as the front two alongside Wolfsburg’s man Wout Weighorst. In the midfield, Matt de Roon, Frankie de Joing and Gini Wijnaldum. The only concern of the former Inter Milan boss is the fact that Matthijs de Ligt is still on the sideline.
Meanwhile, Franck Foda will be deploying 3-5-2 formation. With RB Leipzig’s man Marcel Sabitzer as a leader in attacking build-up. He will gain support from Wolfsburg Xavier Schlager plus Konrad Laimer in the midfield area, while upfront Marko Arnautovic should get the nod in the line up after his goal in their last fixture instead of the youngster Sasha Kalaijdsic
Players to watch
Barcelona man Frankie de Jong seems to be one who could take up the anchorman in the midfield. Some other notable names to watch are the skipper Gini Wijnaldum who has turned into their regular scorer under Frank de Boer’s spell. So far he has netted 23 goals in 76 caps, Memphis Depay and Wout Weighorst contributing two goals in only seven appearances.
In Austria, the 32-year old striker Marko Arnautovic is likely to be the key man in the tournament. He has bagged 27 international goals so far. Another vital name in the squad is none but the versatile David Alaba.
Netherlands vs Austria Prediction
Netherlands will continue their positive result here, although potential goal galore might take place again. Austria’s attacking side will be more dangerous with the former West Ham man, Arnautovic in it. It is high time for Frank de Boer to play Joel Veltman instead of Jurrien Timber as one of the back three for more solid defence. A narrow win will still be more possible for them.
Betting odds
The home side is the clear favourite in this clash. They are backed to win at 3/5, whereas Franck Foda’s men are only priced to win at 11/2. The draw result is at the value of 17/5.
