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Romania surprised many by winning their group ahead of Belgium and their reward is a showdown with Netherlands, who are smarting after defeat against Austria which saw them finish third-place in Group D.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Tuesday 2nd July, 2024 - UK – 5:00pm / US ET – 12:00pm / US PT – 9:00am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – BBC / US – FOX
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – BBC iPlayer / US –VIX
ROMANIA PREVIEW: WINNERS OF A TIGHT GROUP E SET UP DUTCH SHOWDOWN
After beating Ukraine in their opening game of EURO 2024, defeat at the hands of Belgium left Romania’s participation in the knockout stage in doubt heading into the final round of group stage fixtures. That fear was exacerbated after falling behind against Slovakia. However, an equaliser soon after from the penalty spot saw them regain control and a 1-1 draw not only proved to be enough, but also saw Romania win the group following Belgium’s 0-0 draw with Ukraine.
It's fair to say that Romania haven’t been at their best since that resounding triumph over the Ukrainians, particularly from an attacking perspective. This is the area where they’ll need to really improve and try and capitalise on Netherlands’ defensive fragilities shown across the group stage.
NETHERLANDS PREVIEW: HARSH WORDS EXPRESSED FOLLOWING AUSTRIA PERFORMANCE
A week is a long time in football and that’s exactly how long Netherlands will have had to stew over their desperately poor showing against Austria which saw them deservedly beaten by three goals to two. Ronald Koeman has found himself under-fire from the Dutch media, as have the players, with captain Virgil van Dijk forced to field heavy criticism of both him and his teammates.
However, the most important thing from a Netherlands point of view was that they made it through and now have an opportunity to put things right. The draw has also worked out extremely favourably for them when compared to likes of Group D runners-up France, who finished above Koeman’s side in the table.
ROMANIA TEAM NEWS: BANCU SUSPENDED, MAN COULD BE RECALLED
Romania will be forced into a defensive change with Nicusor Bancu suspended, although midfielder Razvan Marin should be fit to start once again after training prior to this game. Dennis Man was left on the bench against Slovakia and could come back into the side ahead of Ianis Hagi.
PREDICTED XI (4-5-1): Nita; Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Mogos; Man, R. Marin, M. Marin, Stanciu, Coman; Dragus
UNAVAILABLE: Bancu (Suspended)
QUESTIONABLE: Marin (Fitness)
NETHERLANDS TEAM NEWS: CHANGE OF FORMATION AND PERSONNEL EXPECTED
It would be no surprise if Koeman reverted back to a 4-2-3-1 formation after his 4-3-3 formation was taken apart by Austria. Expect Joey Veerman to be dropped and Xavi Simons back in the XI, whilst Denzel Dumfries should also start at right-back, with either Donyell Malen or Jeremie Frimpong picked to play ahead of him.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Reijnders; Malen, Simons, Gakpo; Depay
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE:
KEY STATS
ROMANIA VS NETHERLANDS PREDICTION
Following a long post-mortem and a week to stew on such a disappointing last game, Netherlands will no doubt be fired-up here and should come out of the blocks flying, desperate to make amends and show that they can still win this tournament. Players such as Van Dijk and Gakpo should come into their own on an occasion such as this, whilst Romania are playing to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2000, which brings its own level of pressure.
On paper, Netherlands are a stronger team across the pitch and this match may come down to whether Ronald Koeman picks the right XI and sets them up effectively against a side who will look to punish their mistakes. Whilst backing Netherlands to come out on top has to be favoured, doing so via the draw no bet market for extra security is advised.
ROMANIA VS NETHERLANDS TIP: NETHERLANDS DRAW NO BET