The group stage of UEFA Euro 2024 is coming to an end as we approach the final set of fixtures before reaching the knockouts. There are still plenty of things to iron out in every single group, and given some of the chaos we’ve seen so far, we’re expecting a few more twists and turns along the way. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the intriguing clash between Netherlands and Austria.
Netherlands Form GuideThe Dutch have forever been known as the bridesmaids of world football but on the European stage, they tend to be a little bit more consistent. The primary hope, moving forward, is that all of their changes behind the scenes won’t impact what they’re trying to accomplish on the pitch. After all, you could make a good argument that this is actually their best squad in years.
The Dutch faced a scare early on against Poland but eventually, they pulled themselves together and were able to turn it around - picking up a 2-1 win. Then, against France, many will argue they had a perfectly fine goal ruled out, with the end result being a 0-0 draw.
Austria Form GuideThey’ve always been a dangerous kind of opponent, but Austria haven’t quite been able to get over the hump and become a consistent force. The likes of David Alaba have always pushed hard for them to get to that next level but for now, they’re just a ‘middle of the road’ team in Europe, always striving to prove they can get out of the shadow of some of their neighbours.
Austria pushed France as hard as they could in their opening group game and they’ll feel unlucky to have left with a 1-0 defeat. Then, against Poland, they had to really work for the win, but they did manage to secure it with a 3-1 triumph that they’ll feel pretty relieved about.
Match PredictionBoth of these teams have looked good so far throughout the course of the tournament but in terms of this game, we expect them to both be a bit trepidatious - with the Austrians being the ones who really need a result. In terms of a prediction, we’re going to shoot for under 2.5 goals scored.
