Poland vs Netherlands

Volksparkstadion sets the stage for an exciting Euro 2024 Group D opener between Poland and the Netherlands.

Poland’s ominous tradition of flaming out the group stages in three of their four previous appearances at the Euro tournaments spell trouble for the Eagles after becoming one of the latest teams to qualify for this summer’s competition. Paired with Austria, France, and the Netherlands in a highly competitive Group D, the Poles aren’t fancied to reach the knockouts, but there’s a silver lining. Since Michal Probierz was appointed the head coach last September, they’ve gone unbeaten in seven consecutive internationals (W5, D2), including a nerve-shredding penalty-shootout win over Wales to reach these finals. However, this could be a tall order for Poland, considering they’ve failed to beat the Netherlands across their last 12 H2H meetings (D5, L7), including a 2-0 defeat in their most recent encounter in the 2022 UEFA Nations League campaign.

On the other hand, the Netherlands head into the tournament ranking sixth favorite to claim the award, per Opta. Their only previous Euros success dates back to 1988, after which they’ve never reached the final again. After a disheartening last-16 elimination at Euro 2020, the Dutch did one better at the 2022 World Cup, making it to the quarter-finals, and will be keen to continue on this trajectory. But the Netherlands’ lofty ambitions have taken several blows ahead of this match, with Teun Koopmeiners and Frenkie de Jong withdrawing from the national team due to injuries. Manager Ronald Koeman can’t search for excuses, especially after delivering a mixed bag of performance in his first 14 games in charge (W9, L5).