Our prediction for this Nations League match:
There will be fireworks when Netherlands and Belgium, the two neighbouring countries, face each other at Johan Cruijff Arena on Sunday evening. The Oranje clinched top position in Group 4 thanks to a 2-0 win over Poland, and they now want to put icing on the cake. Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners has been ruled out with injury, and there is every chance Ajax winger Steven Berghuis will replace him in the starting XI. His teammate Marten de Roon is pushing for a start as well.
The Red Devils, on the other hand, aim to build on a 2-1 win over Wales, but keep in mind that they head into Sunday’s clash without key attacker Romelu Lukaku. Anyhow, we are tempted to put our money on draw as the Netherlands would be happy with one point from the match. As always, a man to keep an eye on in the away side will be Man City ace Kevin De Bruyne, who got his name on the scoresheet on Thursday.
Highlighted Player (Memphis Depay):
Memphis Depay is a Dutch winger who started his professional career at PSV Eindhoven. During the 2014/2015 Eredivisie campaign the pacey footballer was on Manchester United’s radar and on June 12, 2015 the Premier League club confirmed the signing of the Dutchman. Many people expected that he would impress in the 2015/2016 Premier League season, but the former PSV ace played below expectations for the Red Devils, scoring only two goals (one assist) during the season.
After playing only for league games for Man Utd in the 2016/2017 season, Memphis Depay was sold to Olympique Lyon on January 20, 2017. Depay signed a four-and-a-half year deal with les Gones for a fee of around £16 million. The Dutch winger was producing fine performances for Lyon in the 2016/2017 season; he scored five goals for the club, while providing eight assists for his teammates.
Memphis Depay made his senior debut for Netherlands on October 15, 2013 in a 2-0 win over Turkey. Depay did well to win the 2011 European Championship with Netherlands U17 team.
Highlighted Team (Belgium):
Present on the international stage since 1904, Belgium national team have had plenty of ups and downs in the past, finishing as runners up at the 1980 European Championship in Italy. The Red Devils also won the third place on home soil at the 1972 tournament, while they enjoyed some success at the World Cup finals as well.
Belgium qualified for 12 World Cup tournaments, reaching the semi-finals in 1986 and quarter-finals at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. It is the generation that played in Brazil that is believed to be the most talented team since the one featuring Enzo Scifo, Michel Preud’homme and Franky van der Elst.
Playing their home games at King Baudouin Stadium, the Red Devils have impressed at the start of the 21st century, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne just some of the world-class players in the squad. Following some impressive results in the Euro 2016 qualifiers and international friendlies, Belgium climbed to number 1 position in the FIFA Rankings in November 2015.