Club football might have come to an end, but the beautiful game carries on, with the UEFA Nations League making its much-awaited return this midweek. The two semifinal fixtures will be played on Wednesday and Thursday, with the Netherlands locking horns with Croatia at De Kuip in the first of those two showdowns.
Four years after finishing as the runners-up in the inaugural UEFA Nations League campaign, the Netherlands find themselves back in the finals with the aim of lifting the title this time around. While the European heavyweights have reestablished themselves as a team to fear, their long wait for silverware continues.
The last time Oranje lifted a title was back in the 1988 European Championship. In fact, that victory from 35 years ago is their only silverware. The Netherlands, nicknamed the greatest footballing nation to have never won the FIFA World Cup, suffered another disappointment in the build-up to the UEFA Nations League final, this time crashing out of Qatar 2022 in the quarterfinal stage.
Louis van Gaal's men fell victims to eventual champions Argentina, losing on penalties after coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and force extra time. Unfortunately for Van Dijk and his comrades, the heroics of Emiliano Martinez prevented the Dutch from reaching the semifinal stage, where they coincidentally would have faced Croatia.
However, the Netherlands were brilliant in Group 4 of League A, picking up 16 points out of a total 18 in their group. This was despite being grouped alongside Belgium, Poland, and Wales, with Frenkie de Jong and Co. winning all but one game – their 2-2 draw against Poland.
Koeman's men followed up on that defeat to Argentina with another horrible loss, this time getting thrashed 4-0 by France in their first UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier. The Dutch would eventually bounce back, beating Gibraltar 3-0 in their subsequent tie, but that defeat to Les Bleus showed that they are not completely out of the woods yet.
Croatian, meanwhile, impressed everyone at the big stage with their 2022 World Cup campaign. While the European nation did not go all the way to the final this time around, Modric and Co. made it to the semifinals, where they were beaten by eventual champions Argentina.
Zlatko Dalić's men conceded three goals on that day, the first being a controversial penalty which Lionel Messi buried away. Julian Alvarez then got on the scoresheet twice, with his second goal coming courtesy of a moment of magic from Messi which Josko Gardiol will not forget anytime soon.
Croatia thus entered the third-place playoff and beat Morocco to finish third, which was impressive. Additionally, their performances in League A of the UEFA Nations League was also admirable, losing only once in their opening game against Austria. Modric and Co. went unbeaten against France across both legs, winning 1-0 and drawing 1-1 to finish ahead of the then-World Cup holders.
Unlike the Dutch, Croatia have never won a major trophy. The 2018 World Cup final was the closest they came to lifting silverware but that day ended in heartbreak for Vatreni. This edition of the UEFA Nations League gives them another opportunity at ending this record but expect Dalic's men to face a tough test against the Netherlands.
Team news
Netherlands: Koeman will be without two key players for this clash and they are Memphis Depay and Matthijs de Ligt. The Barcelona and Bayern Munich stars are both suffering from calf issues which has ruled them out for this tie. The manager initially named a 26-man squad but has since dropped Tijjani Reijnders and Daley Blind. Meanwhile, Ryan Gravenberch, Steven Berghuis, Stefan de Vrij, and Jeremie Frimpong are all unavailable.
Croatia: The opposition have a huge concern of their own as Josko Gvardiol is unavailable due to a groin injury. Additionally, Marko Livaja has pulled out of the squad following a spat with fans during a training session. Fortunately, Dalic has his formidable midfield trio of Kovacic, Brozovic, and Modric at his disposal.
Key stats
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This will be only the third encounter between these two nations.
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The Netherlands triumphed in their last showdown with Croatia, beating Vatreni 3-0 back in 2008.
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No team scored more goals in League A in this edition of the UEFA Nations League than the Dutch (16).
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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