Back
Steffen Schmidt - June 12, 2023
Netherlands vs Croatia
UEFA Nations League
Date: 14 June 2023, Wednesday
Kick-off at 19:45 UK / 20:45 CET
Venue: Stadion Feijenoord (Rotterdam).
Feyenoord’s De Kuip will play host to the first UEFA Nations League semifinal on Wednesday evening when hosts Netherlands take on World Cup semifinalists Croatia.
The Netherlands are set as the favorites on Wednesday but we see a lot of value in backing the Croats for multiple reasons.
First of all, this team led by Zlatko Dalic came second and third at the previous two World Cups. This is the last chance for their golden generation, led by Real Madrid superstar Luka Modric, to bring home silverware.
Moving forward, Croatia showed their quality to secure the top spot in their respective UEFA Nations League group despite losing the first game to Austria 0-3 on home soil.
They responded via two separate wins over Denmark, a win in France, and finally a victory in Vienna on the final day.
Another factor speaking in the favor of Croatia is the fact that Louis van Gaal has resigned the Dutch national team bench after the loss on penalties to Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Van Gaal has brought a special spark into this Dutch team and Ronald Koeman will face a very difficult task to fill in his shoes, especially after his unfashionable campaign at Barcelona.
The hosts are trophy-less since their EURO 1988 glory. They survived a group with Belgium, Poland, and Wales undefeated. Can they continue this form without van Gaal in charge?
The value has to be with the Croats who have reached the semifinal at the last two World Cups. Head coach Zlatko Dalic knows how to prepare the players for this type of games. You can back Croatia to qualify at the 2.50 odds.
Alternatively, we like the Under 2.5 goals FT bet at the 1.66 odds. The stakes are high with the competition’s final being up for grabs and we expect both managers to use a rather more careful approach without too many risks on Wednesday.
