The Netherlands has had a perfect warm-up before the Euro 2024 with 2 consecutive victories at the beginning of June. Although Poland has also prepared meticulously and shown impressive form, the White Eagles are far behind the quality and class of the Orange Cyclone. The first match of group D will take place at 8:00 PM on June 16, marking 3 points in the hands of Ronald Koeman’s team against Poland.
Expert opinions on the Poland vs Netherlands match
Poland is a flexible team, only actively attacking when facing weaker opponents. However, when encountering stronger teams, the White Eagles accept a defensive counter-attacking style with only Lewandowski as the lone striker. With disciplined play, Poland, although not highly rated by experts, has consistently appeared in World Cup or Euro finals in recent years. This was demonstrated in this year’s Euro qualifiers, where Poland finished 3rd with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses. However, with a reasonable strategy and stable form in the Play Off round, the White Eagles secured a spot through a final victory against Wales on penalties. Clearly, Poland still has limitations, especially as their most dangerous striker, Lewandowski, cannot avoid the issue of aging.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands has a blend of experienced and young players. Moreover, the Orange Cyclone is loyal to an all-out attacking style and has been successful with its own football philosophy. Although they were eliminated by the World Cup defending champion Argentina in the quarter-finals in 2022, the Netherlands made the Tango dancers struggle for over 120 minutes and only succumbed on penalties. In addition, Ronald Koeman’s team had a high-quality warm-up before Euro 2024 with two convincing victories against Canada and Iceland, both ending 4-0. Notably, the 8 goals were not dependent on any individual or the attacking line. Defender Van Dijk scored twice, young player Simons justified his call-up to the national team with a goal. Furthermore, sharpshooters like Malen, Depay, and Weghorst also contributed to the Orange Cyclone’s goal tally. Therefore, Poland will surely face immense pressure from the Netherlands with their diverse attacking play.
A brief overview of the past encounters between Poland vs Netherlands
Looking at the history of encounters between Poland and the Netherlands, the favoritism towards the Orange Cyclone is justified. The White Eagles used to dominate the Dutch team in the 1970s, but in the last 4 decades, Poland has always been the prey of the Netherlands. In their recent meeting at the UEFA Nations League 2022, the difference in class was evident in the 2-0 victory for Ronald Koeman’s team.
Odds for the Poland vs Netherlands match
The possibility of Frenkie De Jong’s appearance is still uncertain due to his eye injury. De Jong is likely to miss the opening match of Euro 2024 against Poland or even the entire group stage. The remaining players are ready to play, especially the presence of young player Simons, who is being sought after by many clubs this summer.
Meanwhile, the lineup of Poland during the Euro 2024 qualifiers remains unchanged until now. The White Eagles have not suffered any regrettable losses over the past 3 months. Lewandowski is still the most notable name in the attack alongside the presence of goalkeeper Szczesny from Juventus.
- Total Goals Under: The Netherlands have shown an impressive goal-scoring ability in the two warm-up matches before the start of the final round with a total of 8 goals. However, Poland is not an easy opponent to be bullied, they play with a 5-midfielder formation and focus on defensive capabilities and ball control. Therefore, the defense of the White Eagles is very tight, they have only conceded 3 goals in their last 5 appearances and have kept a clean sheet in 2 matches.
- Total Corners Under: Despite winning 2-0 against Poland in the most recent encounter, the Netherlands lag far behind the White Eagles in terms of corner kick performance and have only executed a set-piece play once in the corner area. With the context of Poland being inferior in all aspects, the total corners under is a safe choice because coach Michal Probierz’s team does not have many opportunities to threaten the Netherlands’ goal.
- Select the Netherlands -0.5/1: Due to their dominance in head-to-head records and outstanding form, the Netherlands becomes a reliable investment destination before the match. Apart from the sole defeat against the host team Germany at the end of March, the Oranje have secured 6 out of 7 recent victories.
Team news for Poland vs the Netherlands
The Netherlands: Uncertainty over De Jong’s appearance Poland: No regrettable absences
Predicted lineups for Poland vs the Netherlands
The Netherlands (3-4-3): Van de Ven, Nathan Aké, Verbruggen, De Ligt, Van Dijk, Jeremie Frimpong, Koopmeiners, Ryan Gravenberch, Depay, Weghorst, Xavi Simons. Poland (3-5-2): Szczesny, Bednarek, Dawidowicz, Kiwior, Zielinski, Zalewski, Slisz, Piotrowski, Frankowski, Swiderski, Lewandowski.
