Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Netherlands
Match Time & Date:
14/06/2023
11:45 AM
Prediction: 2-1
Croatia
A place in the UEFA Nations League final will be at stake when Netherlands and Croatia go head to head at De Kuip on Wednesday evening. The Oranje did well to make it to the World Cup quarter-finals, but they kicked off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a massive 4-0 loss to France. New boss Ronald Koeman believes that the mix of youth and experience in the Netherlands squad could be the key to success, but the hosts will be without important attacker Memphis Depay (injury) in the Nations League semis.
The Croats, on the other hand, continue to rely on experienced Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who has 164 caps for the national team. Talented Augsburg forward Dion Drenau Belja has been left out of the squad, while Benfica forward Petar Musa is pushing for a start. Anyhow, home win should be considered as Netherlands are eager to move closer to winning their first ever Nations League trophy. To make things even worse for the away team, key defender Josko Gvardiol is sidelined with injury.
Highlighted Player (Luka Modric):
Luka Modric is regarded as one of the best central midfielders in world football. The Croatian ace is a product of Dinamo Zagreb’s youth school and it has to be noted that he played 94 league games for the Modri between 2003 and 2008. In 2008 he signed a six-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £16.5 million.
Luka made his Tottenham debut on 16 August, 2008 in a 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough at Riverside Stadium. The Croatian star scored only 13 goals in 127 league appearances for the Spurs, but he is well known for his brilliant passing. In 2012 he signed for Real Madrid for a fee of £30 million and he made his debut against Barcelona in the 2012 Spanish Super Cup, return leg.
Modric quickly established himself as a first-team regular and, no doubt, he helped the capital club win two Champions League trophies (2013/2014, 2015/2016). You should bear in mind that he was named Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014.
Highlighted Team (Netherlands):
Netherlands are well known for the colour of their shirts. The orange colour is the symbol of the Dutch national team and that is the reason why they got a nickname the Oranje. Netherlands won the 1988 European Championship in West Germany, with the team beating the Soviet Union in the title game.
A number of top-class players were part of the Netherlands national team that won the Euro 1988 trophy, with the likes of Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Erwin Koeman all starting the match against the Soviet Union. However, many people consider Johan Cruyff the best player in the history of Dutch football. Cruyff won three European Cups with Ajax as a player and he clinched the European Cup with Barcelona as a coach.
Johan Cruyff is well known as “the father of modern football”. Netherlands participated in the World Cup final on three occasions (1974, 1978, 2010), but they have yet to win the prestigious trophy. The Oranje welcome their rivals at Amsterdam ArenA, Philips Stadion and Stadion Feijenoord.
Leicester
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Arsenal
Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa
Crystal Palace 
Milan 
Juventus 
Man City
Tottenham
Celta Vigo 
Barcelona 
