A POINTLESS battle for the, er, ‘prized' third place finish in the Nations League may not be high on the priorities of Netherlands or Italy, but there's always betting angles.
The two nations have to play each other for reasons only known to UEFA and it's hard to see either team being hugely motivated for this one.
The Dutch were a real disappointment in their eventual semi-final defeat to Croatia. Although they took the lead, the Croatians hit back and eventually shook off the loss of an injury time leveller and won it in extra time deservedly.
Italy also could have no complaints in their semi-final defeat to Spain in Enschede. They were pinned back for long spells and eventually, Spain deservedly won it at the death.
The Azzurri seem to be in a transitional period since they won Euro 2020 and of course failing to qualify for the World Cup again has probably inflicted lasting damage.
Ronald Koeman's side came into their semi-finals in good form, but they flopped in front of their own fans in Rotterdam.
Both managers are likely to rotate their squads here too and use some of their fringe players who didn't start in the semi-finals.
How the bookies view it
Netherlands are viewed as favourites here with home advantage and can be backed at 5/4 with bet365. The Azzurri are 11/5 underdogs with Unibet and the draw is 5/2 with William Hill.
Recent head to heads
Italy have by far the better record here winning ten times to the three successes of the Dutch. There have been three draws too.
They last met in the Nations League also three years ago and the Italians won 1-0 in the Netherlands.
Players to watch
Barcelona ace Frenkie De Jong is always looking to be a goal threat and he is will be of interest when bookies put scorers prices up.
Lazio's Ciro Immobile had another good season with 15 goals and although he sometimes receives criticism for not doing it enough for his country, he managed to convert a penalty against Spain in their semi-finals defeat.
Anything else catch the eye
It's just too tricky to gauge what teams will be fielded until the teamsheets come out and the motivation both sides have for what is really, a meaningless game to call a winner.
But there really should be no excuses for a few goals here with nothing to lose for both sides.
Neither defence looked watertight in the semis either and with the handbrakes off surely, go for over 3.5 goals at a decent price of 2/1 with UniBet.
On a similar token, bet365's 16/5 for both teams to score in the first half looks to be a shout with both Netherlands and Italy having plenty to prove after disappointing results.
This UEFA Nations League match between Netherlands and Italy will be played on Jun 18, 2023 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Netherlands vs Italy prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.