Netherlands vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Nations League | League A Group 3
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
Ronald Koeman begins the next international cycle still in charge of Oranje after the Netherlands reached the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2024 and they begin the new cycle with a home game against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Saturday 7th September, 2024 - UK – 7:45pm / US ET – 2:45pm / US PT – 11:45am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TBC / US – FOX Sports
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – TBC / US – FOX Sports streaming platforms
NETHERLANDS PREVIEW: DUTCH WITH DEPTH
Ronald Koeman has begin the new international cycle by making a statement in the dropping of 26-year-old forward Steven Bergwijn as a direct result of the former Tottenham Hotspur man moving to the Saudi Pro League.
Oranje still do have quite a lot of depth in all areas of the pitch with midfielders like Frenkie de Jong, Marten de Roon, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mats Wieffer or Teun Koopmeiners still not in the squad. There will be a hope they can kick on from an unexpected semi-final appearance.
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA PREVIEW: NEWLY-PROMOTED BOSNIANS
Quite surprisingly, Bosnia-Herzegovina find themselves sitting in League A of the UEFA Nations League after gaining promotion in the 2022/23 edition, finishing at the top of a League B group that consisted of Finland, Montenegro and Romania.
The Bosnians, under the management of Sergej Barbarez, are currently ranked 75th in the world according to FIFA and that marks them out at number 36 in Europe, despite being in the top 16 in the UEFA Nations League.
NETHERLANDS TEAM NEWS: DEFENSIVE DEPTH
Stefan de Vrij was the preferred starting centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk at UEFA EURO 2024 but the Inter defender is out injured. There are plenty of other options, though, such as Nathan Ake, Matthijs de Ligt, Jurrien Timber and Jan Paul van Hecke.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Dumfries, Timber, Van Dijk, Ake; Gravenberch, Reijnders; Malen, Simons, Gakpo; Weghorst
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE:
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA TEAM NEWS: EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED
Former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac is an injury concern for the trip to the Netherlands in this game with some emerging talent, such as Ermedin Demirovic and Armin Gigovic, supporting the experience of Edin Dzeko and Ermin Bicakcic.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-1-2): Vasilj; Katic, Ahmedhodzic, Kolasinac; Dedic, Tahirovic, Krunic, Hajradanovic; Gigovic; Dzeko, Demirovic
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE: Kolasinac (Injured)
NETHERLANDS VS BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA PREDICTION
This is one of the more one-sided games you will find in a competition designed to avoid one-sided affairs such as this one. The Netherlands have shown signs of major improvement and depth under the management of Ronald Koeman. Bosnia-Herzegovina are probably the weakest side to play in League A and, especially in the Netherlands, should result in quite a comfortable home win.
NETHERLANDS VS BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA TIP: NETHERLANDS TO WIN -1 HANDICAP
