International Friendly: Netherlands and Denmark Prepare Ahead for Qatar

Netherlands vs Denmark

The renowned Johan Cruijff Arena will be the place for Netherlands and Denmark’s preparations ahead of World Cup 2022 as these two European sides meet on Saturday for an International Friendly.

Netherlands finished on top of Group G to earn their spot for Qatar last November, while Denmark also held on to their top spot in Group F despite losing to Scotland in their last group stage match.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds have Netherlands as the favourites since they’ll be playing at their home soil. However, Denmark are one tough nut to crack so football fans can expect this to be competitive despite the fact that this match doesn’t have much bearing.

Talking Points

Louis van Gaal faces task of turning Netherlands into a winner

Since replacing Frank de Boer following their shock exit in the Euro 2020 last 16, Louis van Gaal was given the task to oversee Netherlands’ qualification for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

This will be van Gaal’s third stint with the Netherlands national football team, having previously led his country from 2000 to 2001 and from 2012 to 2014.

The Oranje have successfully done so despite their early wobbles – taking 17 points from 21 available since the beginning of September – and they’re widely considered as one of the dark horses ahead of the world’s biggest stage.

Netherlands are fielding in a strong group for this contest as they’ll prepare ahead for Qatar.

They’ll be captained by Virgil van Dijk once more while Daley Blind, Denzel Dumfries, and Matthijs de Ligt will back him up to cover for the debuting goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Meanwhile, Georginio Wijnaldum will look to regain his confidence after being left out from PSG’s rotation and he’ll link up with Frenkie de Jong and Davy Klaassen in the midfield, while Memphis Depay, Arnaut Danjuma, and Steven Berghuis will form their front three.

Christian Eriksen might make his return for Denmark

Denmark have also done a great job during the qualifiers and they’re hopeful to keep their momentum going ahead of Qatar.

Since reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2020 and winning nine straight in World Cup qualification, they certainly raised some eyebrows as they’re now ninth in the FIFA world rankings.

The Danes will need all the luck that they can get in order to sustain their form ahead of Qatar, and they’re going to get a huge boost in the form of Christian Eriksen.

It can be noted that Eriksen suffered a cardiac scare during their first Euro 2020 match against Finland, so the veteran midfielder should be commended for working so hard in order to get called up again by the national team.

Eriksen is likely to come off the bench for this one as Yussuf Poulsen and Kasper Dolberg are going to lead the Danes’ front line anew.

On ther other hand, Denmark will be missing key men at the back as skipper Simon Kjaer is still recovering from surgery while Andreas Christensen is dealing with a muscular injury.

History

Prior to Saturday, Netherlands have the upper hand in their head-to-heads against Denmark. In their last 29 matches against each other, the Oranje have secured 12 victories while the Danes have managed eight wins along with nine draws.

The previous meeting between these two nations happened 10 years ago where Denmark scored a 1-0 upset over Netherlands during the Euro 2012 group stage, courtesy of Michael Krohn-Dehli’s goal at the 24^th-minute. Since then, they’ve faced off in four exhibition games which all ended in draws.

Netherlands may have won each of their last four at home and have scored at least twice in each of those wins (18 goals total), but they haven’t been good in international friendlies as they’ve only won three of their last 12 on home soil since June 2015.

Meanwhile, Denmark have been undefeated in international friendlies lately, winning four and drawing twice in these past few years.

Betting Tip

The International Friendly 2022 odds expect Netherlands to win in this contest. The Oranje are priced at 1.90, while a victory for Denmark is pegged at 3.90 and chances for a draw are at 3.35 in the 1X2 market.

Denmark’s lack of depth on the defencive end doesn’t help their chances on this one, especially since Netherlands boasts several prolific attackers. Netherlands are likely to score more than Denmark, although we don’t expect too much International Friendly 2022 highlights from this fixture – making either Total Goals 2-3 @ 1.80 or Under 2.50 @ 1.72 as great alternative bets.

 

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