Tuesday sees a pivotal clash in Group D between the Netherlands and Austria as both sides fight for their place in the last 16 of Euro 2024.
The Netherlands find themselves in the driving seat heading into the meeting in Berlin having taken four points from their opening two matches. That means they are guaranteed a top-two finish if they avoid defeat to Austria, while a victory could help them secure top spot depending on the outcome of France's battle with Poland.
However, Austria can leapfrog the Dutch with a victory, which would see them finish in the top two. They can actually finish as group winners in the unlikely scenario that they defeat the Netherlands and France fail to beat Poland, while a draw would likely be enough to secure qualification via a third-placed finish.
The two nations were also drawn against one another in the Euro 2020 group stage and it was the Netherlands that came out on top on that occasion. Goals from Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries - both of whom should start this Tuesday - separated the sides.
Here is 90min's guide to the Netherlands' clash with Austria at Euro 2024.
Netherlands vs Austria H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
Netherlands | Austria |
|---|---|
Netherlands 0-0 France - 21/06/24 | Poland 1-3 Austria - 21/06/24 |
Poland 1-2 Netherlands - 16/06/24 | Austria 0-1 France - 17/06/24 |
Netherlands 4-0 Iceland - 10/06/24 | Switzerland 1-1 Austria - 08/06/24 |
Netherlands 4-0 Canada - 06/06/24 | Austria 2-1 Serbia - 04/06/24 |
Germany 2-1 Netherlands - 26/03/24 | Austria 6-1 Turkey - 26/03/24 |
Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BB Sport Web |
United States | Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports App, foxsports.com, fuboTV, Sling, ViX |
Canada | TSN2, TVA Sports 2, TVA+ |
Ronald Koeman doesn't have any fitness concerns heading into a crucial match with Austria after all his players came away from the clash with France unscathed. He did make some alterations against Didier Deschamps' side though, with Jeremie Frimpong coming in at right wing.
Whether Koeman will persist with the Bayer Leverkusen man remains to be seen, but he is unlikely to make many changes elsewhere. Depay should lead the line with Xavi Simons in behind him or on the right flank and Cody Gakpo on the other wing.
Virgil van Dijk and Stefan de Vrij has been the centre-back partnership of choice, with Tijjani Reijnders and Jerdy Schouten preferred in midfield.
Netherlands predicted lineup vs Austria (4-2-3-1): Verburggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Reijnders; Frimpong, Simons, Gakpo; Depay.
Ralf Rangnick made a handful of changes against Poland following a 1-0 defeat to France, with an entirely new centre-back partnership selected. Max Wober, who scored the own goal against the French, and Kevin Danso dropped out and were replaced by Gernot Trauner and Philipp Lienhart.
Trauner did score the opener against Poland but came off injured before the hour mark. As a result he could miss out against the Netherlands, but Marko Arnautovic should retain his place up top after coming in for Michael Gregoritsch and scoring from the penalty spot.
Austria predicted lineup vs Netherlands (4-2-3-1): Pentz; Posch, Danso, Lienhart, Mwene; Seiwald, Grillitsch; Baumgartner, Laimer, Sabitzer; Arnautovic.
Austria were many people's dark horses before a ball was kicked and they've lived up to that tag so far despite defeat to France in their opener. The intensity with which they have played has caused all manner of issues for their opponents, with a strong midfield core helping overrun teams.
However, the Netherlands have shown glimpses of their brilliance at Euro 2024 and have an undeniably stronger squad. Both sides should play with ferocity as they seek automatic qualification with a top-two spot, but there may be nothing to separate the teams in a high-scoring affair.