Prior to embarking on the EURO 2024 campaign in Germany, which is predicted to be challenging, the Netherlands must undergo the final test named Iceland tonight at the Feyenoord Stadium. The match will take place at 01:45 on April 11th, according to Vietnam time.
First half odds for the match between the Netherlands and Iceland
Entering a friendly match with Iceland with less than a week to prepare for the opening match of EURO 2024, Netherlands’ coach Ronald Koeman will face a very challenging problem, whether to use the best available players to create a good psychological momentum or to keep his cards close to his chest. However, no matter which lineup takes the field, the Netherlands is still considered to have a much higher quality squad compared to Iceland. The attacking options of the Dutch team are relatively diverse, with mainstays like Depay, Gakpo, and Xavi Simons, as well as backup options like Donyell Malen and Wout Weghorst, always ready to shine at any time. As for Iceland, the team has recently surprised by defeating the England national team, a team even considered stronger than the Netherlands, at Wembley with a minimal score. This may serve as a wake-up call for Ronald Koeman and his team regarding the discomfort posed by this Nordic team. Although Iceland does not possess many stars in their lineup, their defensive organization is extremely disciplined and unified. It is predicted that the Netherlands will not find it easy to break down this double-decker bus defense. The first 45 minutes of the match will be tightly contested, with few goals, and the scoreline may not change. Another reliable option in the first half to avoid risks is the corner kick odds. If no goals are scored and faced with Iceland’s defensive wall, the Netherlands will organize continuous attacks like waves hitting the shore, providing a basis to trust in the frequency of corner kicks. Prediction: Under goals, corner kick over
Full match odds for the clash between the Netherlands and Iceland
In the match against Canada three days ago, the Netherlands also faced a deadlock when they could not breach the North American team’s defense and ended the first half with a 0-0 score. However, with only minor adjustments to Ronald Koeman’s attacking lineup, The Oranje solved the problem and secured a 4-0 victory in the second half. This scenario can be trusted to continue when the Netherlands faces Iceland, a team with a playing style quite similar to Canada. Once talented players capable of creating breakthroughs like Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, or Steven Bergwijn are introduced, the defense of the Viking Warriors will be at risk of collapsing at any moment. Iceland clearly is not a team to keep a clean sheet against the top attacking lineups in the world, as evidenced by their performance against the England national team for the full 90 minutes. However, the reality is that the stars of the Three Lions were too wasteful in finishing, and in terms of opportunities, the defensive line of the Nordic team still revealed quite a few deadly gaps. If they continue to defend passively and retreat too deep towards their goal, the sharpshooters lurking in the penalty area of the Netherlands, exemplified by Wout Weghorst, could punish Iceland at any time. The second half will be an explosive phase when the Orange Storm breaks through Iceland’s concrete defense. The whole match handicap of up to 2 goals for the Netherlands may cause many people to feel worried, however, winning with a margin of at least 3 goals against a team ranked 72nd in the world like Iceland is clearly not something impossible for the EURO 2024 championship candidate Netherlands. With the 3/3.5 figure for the full match over/under odds, the bookmakers also show confidence that this match could see a goal feast. When competitors for the championship title such as England, Portugal, and France have all disappointed in the final warm-up matches, Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands will certainly be determined not to fall into this trap. Prediction: Netherlands -2 FT, over total goals for the whole match.
