Netherlands vs Ukraine
Group C of Euro 2020 is underway on Sunday when Austria face North Macedonia in the early kick-off before Netherlands entertain Ukraine in the big match at the Johann Cruyff Arena.
Here at SBOTOP, we have Netherlands at 1.63 to win, with the draw at 3.45 and a Ukraine win at 5.60. But only eight places separate the two teams in the FIFA World Rankings as the hosts are rated 16th while Ukraine are in 24th place.
After missing out on Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018, the Oranje are a welcome addition to the tournament but the pressure is on them to succeed.
This is by no means an easy start for the Dutch, who are missing some big players and are about to encounter an in-form Ukraine, skippered by Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Talking Points
Can Netherlands thrive without Van Dijk?
The pre-tournament Euro 2020 betting odds say France are favourites to win the competition and Netherlands are in a group of six or seven sides with realistic aspirations of challenging Les Bleus.
But the Oranje’s run up to the tournament has been far from ideal since they had a setback at the start of their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign, losing 4-2 to Turkey.
And more recently, they drew with Scotland 2-2 in a warmup game as Memphis Depay spared Netherlands’ blushes with a late free-kick.
Head coach Frank de Boer has a couple of injury headaches, the biggest one being the absence of defencive colossus Virgil van Dijk. The Liverpool player was injured in a collision with Jordan Pickford in the Mersey derby back in October, and he missed the remainder of the Reds’ season as they struggled to earn a Champions League place.
A lot rests on the shoulders of Van Dijk’s international partner Matthijs de Ligt. The 21-year-old Juventus centre-back is of the highest pedigree, captaining Ajax aged 18 and leading them to the Champions League semifinals in 2019.
Barcelona’s midfielder Frenkie de Jong is another of Netherlands’ young stars, but that area has been weakened by the news that Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek has been ruled out of the competition by a niggling groin injury.
In his first season at Old Trafford, van de Beek has been frustrated by the lack of game time as the Red Devils had an untroubled run to second place and this is another setback for the 24-year-old attacking midfielder, as well as for his country.
Zinchenko could be a big player for Ukraine
Ukraine legend Andriy Shevchenko is having a good run as head coach and he has led his side on a run of six unbeaten games.
A 1-1 draw with France in March in a World Cup qualifier is the eye-catching result. Antoine Griezmann put Les Bleus ahead with a curling effort early in the game, but Ukraine stuck to the task and were rewarded when Serhiy Sydorchuck’s deflected effort beat the wrong-footed Hugo Lloris.
That was the first of four 1-1’s for Ukraine before they had friendly victories over Northern Ireland (1-0) and Cyprus (4-0)
Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko has had a meteoric rise to fame since he began his career at Shakhtar Donetsk. His mother decided they should move to Russia to escape his war torn country and, at 17 year so age, he terminated his contract with Shakhtar.
But since his move to Manchester City, his career has sky-rocketed. Zinchenko has won three Premier League titles and, still only 24, he is captain of his country having been named Ukranian Footballer of the Year in 2019.
At the Etihad, he is deployed as a wing-back but he plays in a more advanced role for Ukraine. And with Netherlands missing some key players, he could cause the Oranje more problems.
After his Champions League disappointment when City lost to Chelsea in the final, Zinchenko will hope to be in the Euro 2020 news for all the right reasons.
History
The Netherlands have won one and drawn one of the two meetings between these two sides, but both games were over 10 years ago.
Both come into this clash in decent form. Since their defeat to Turkey, Netherlands are without a loss in four while Ukraine are aiming for a seventh unbeaten game in a row.
Ukraine are hoping to progress beyond the group stage of the Euros for the first time while the Dutch are seeking a first tournament win since 1988.
Betting Tip
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Netherlands vs Ukraine | Total Goals 2-3 @ 1.92 |
| June 14, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
This is a fascinating clash between two sides in decent form. And while the Dutch are highly fancied, it will be interesting to see how they cope without Van Dijk.
I can see a 1-1 draw in this opener or maybe a Netherlands victory by the odd goal in three.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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