Wales vs Netherlands

Wales and the Netherlands will lock horns at the Cardiff City Stadium in a handsomely-looking UEFA Nations League encounter.

Fresh from securing their first appearance at the World Cup finals in over 60 years, Wales could still be hangover following a narrow 1-0 win over Ukraine in the play-off final. However, Gareth Bale and his comrades experienced a false start to the 2022/23 Nations League campaign. Despite taking a second-half lead away to Poland, the ‘Dragons’ ended up on the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline, ending a run of six Nations League fixtures without losing (W5, D1). Any hopes of bouncing back will hinge on Wales’ ability to arrest an underwhelming eight-match losing H2H streak spanning back to 1988. Since an uneventful Euro 2020, Rob Page’s men have alternated between victories (3) and draws (3) across their six home internationals. That could inspire Wales’ bid to beat the Netherlands for the first time.

However, Louis van Gaal’s high-flyers head to Cardiff in a buoyant mood following an overwhelming 4-1 victory over fellow Benelux rivals Belgium in their Group A3 curtain-raiser. Van Gaal’s third managerial stint at the Netherlands has been an utter success thus far, with the ‘Oranje’ going unbeaten in all ten internationals since his reappointment in September 2021 (W7, D3). Adding to the Netherlands’ confidence, they have only lost two of their ten Nations League group stage fixtures (W5, D3). After tallying 2+ goals in their last seven meetings with Wales, the visitors should feel increasingly confident about solidifying their place at the top of this group.