THE Netherlands and England square off at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday night for the right to advance to the final of Euro 2024.
The victor of this semi-final showdown will contest Sunday’s showpiece at the Olympiastadion against either Spain or France.
The Netherlands secured their passage to the semi-final stage after staging a second-half comeback to defeat Turkey 2-1 on Saturday, on a night where my BTTS bet banked in Berlin.
That means Ronald Koeman’s side are now just two wins away from securing a first major tournament triumph since 1988.
As for England, they progressed to the last four thanks to some rare penalty shoot-out joy following a 1-1 draw with Switzerland, on an evening where our man Andy Delaney delivered a clean sweep of winners in Dusseldorf.
While the Three Lions’ performances on route to the semi-final stage have left a lot to be desired, Gareth Southgate and his players are now just two wins away from exorcising the ghosts of failures past by achieving Euro 2024 immortality.
How the bookies view it: England to march on to Berlin
Despite failing to win each of their last four matches inside 90 minutes at Euro 2024, England are 13/8 (Betfred) favourites to defeat the Dutch without the need for extra-time or penalties. Given how tight England’s games have been at Euro 2024 so far, the shrewder option could be to back the Three Lions to qualify at 4/5 on Betfred.
A fifth successive stalemate involving England can be backed at 2/1 on Betfred.
The Netherlands are 21/10 (Betfred) outsiders to seal their passage to Sunday’s grand finale in the German capital.
Head to head: Another stalemate in store?
The two sides have crossed swords 22 times, with the Netherlands prevailing on seven occasions, while England have earned six victories. Nine of the overall 22 meetings have ended all square.
This will be the first time the pair have come up against each other since contesting the semi-final of the inaugural edition of the Nations League back in 2019. The Netherlands came out on top on that occasion courtesy of a 3-1 win after extra-time.
Players to watch: Gakpo going for gold
Cody Gakpo was initially credited with the winning goal against Turkey before it was deemed to be an own-goal by UEFA. As such, the Dutchman remains the joint-leader (3) in the race for the Golden Boot award. Gakpo is as big as 3/1 on Betfred to score against England on Wednesday night.
Harry Kane scored in England’s Euro 2020 semi-final tie and the Three Lions skipper is 15/8 to repeat the trick this midweek.
Predicted line-ups
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman is expected to keep faith with the same starting XI that saw off Turkey 2-1 on Saturday night.
Marc Guehi returns from suspension for England and the Crystal Palace ace is expected to be restored to the starting line-up.
Netherlands: Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Reijnders; Bergwijn, Simons, Gakpo; Depay
England: Pickford; Walker, Guehi, Stones; Trippier, Bellingham, Rice, Foden, Saka; Kane, Toney
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing England to score alongside Nathan Ake to commit one or more fouls will bring about a 4/5 (Betfred) Bet Builder that holds appeal.
The Netherlands showed against Turkey that they are far from bulletproof defensively and England’s superior attacking talent won’t be so wasteful in front of goal.
The likes of Austria and Poland breached the Dutch defence during the group phase and the star-studded Three Lions can follow suit.
Round off the Bet Builder with at least one Ake foul – the Man City man committed a foul and was carded against Turkey last time out, and he will have one of the toughest jobs on the pitch on Wednesday night when going up against foul-magnet Bukayo Saka.
Betfred boosted odds for England v Netherlands
We are getting closer to the kickoff of the second EURO 2024 semi-final and Betfred has a few boosted prices for us, so let's check them out here:
The first price that's boosted is for England to Win in 90 Minutes and Both Teams to Score, which went from 5/1 to 6/1. Since we can see England getting to the final, this is a tempting market to take a punt on, especially with the odds boosted nicely.
There are also a couple of boosts for Anytime Goalscorer markets, particularly for Harry Kane (from 7/4 to 9/4) and Memphis Depay (from 11/4 to 7/2), which also includes any goals scored by these players in potential extra time.
Finally, Betfred also offers a few of price boosts for their unique #PickYourPunt Builders:
- England To Win in 90 Minutes & England Most Corners: 4/1>>5/1
- England To Win in 90 Minutes & Kane 2+ Shots On Target: 9/2>>6/1
- Kane to Score & Bellngham to be Carded: 9/1>>10/1
- Shaw & Dumfries Both to be Carded: 10/1>>12/1
This Euro 2024 match between England and Netherlands will be played on Jul 10, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best England vs Netherlands prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
