Netherlands vs. Sweden: European Giants Face Off | OneFootball

The Orange Army of Netherlands supporters will flood the streets of Houston, TX Saturday morning, drowning out the pockets of yellow-clad Swedes as their two nations go head-to-head in a Group F battle.

Saying this is a clash of giants is not hyperbole. Both teams are among the tallest in the competition, and on the pitch are savvy and experienced veterans of international tourneys.

Match Details

Kickoff at 1:00pm ET / 12:00pm local time / 10:00am PTHouston Stadium, Texas

The Netherlands

Their 2-2 draw against Japan was one of the first tranches highlights. Twice Oranje took the lead; twice the plucky Blue Samurai fought back to equalize. Pulling the strings for the Dutch was Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch. He notched two assists, the first from a corner that captain Virgil van Dijk headed home, the second a feed into Crysencio Summerville who smashed it in from the right edge of the goal box. 

Summerville was a surprise name when manager Ronald Koeman announced the final squad, given that his previous international experience was limited to a pair of friendlies. Despite being the shortest player on the Dutch team (he’s listed as 5’9″ but that’s on a good day), the West Ham winger has proved his value. That gaol was his first for Oranje, in only his third cap.

Defensively, the Netherlands weren’t awful despite conceding two. Both Japan shots took deflections which stymied Bart Vebruggen’s efforts to save them. In fact, if you look at Japan’s xG of 0.59 it was precisely that luck (good or bad depends on the color of your kit) that proved to be a more deciding factor.

Sweden

Luck didn’t play into Sweden’s first match, unless you consider drawing Tunisia as your opening match lucky. They have the dubious distinction of being the only team in modern World Cup history to have earned a World Cup place without winning a confederation qualification match. In UEFA’s Group B they finished dead last behind Switzerland, Kosova and Slovenia, earning 2 points and having a -8 goal differential. However, they still earned a place in the UEFA second round playoffs due to some bizarre backdoor rule made possible by the Nations League competition. By then they had hired Graham Potter as coach, and he led the Blågult to two straight wins and a ticket to the U.S. 

Their match against Tunisia was a straight up mauling, with a final score of 5-1. Youngster Yasin Ayari, who featured in 32 Brighton fixtures last season but wasn’t particularly remarkable, made a big splash by notching a brace. As he is a dual Swedish-Tunisian national, he wisely kept the celebrations subdued. The most expensive striker pairing in the World Cup, Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres, also did their part. Isak got a pair of assists and a goal; Gyökeres had to settle for one of each.

How It Will Play

With two high-powered offenses, all the pressure will be on the backlines of both sides. Sweden is certainly capable in this regard, but they weren’t exactly tested by Tunisia. They also conceded one from the two on-frame shots from the Carthage Eagles.

Look for the Dutch to play their usual patient style of build-up soccer, controlling possession and looking to exploit gaps. Ronald Koeman will use his substitutions to keep fresh legs up front harassing the Swedes.

Luckily for both sides (and the spectators), the Houston (née NRG) stadium will be covered and the air-conditioning will keep temperatures stable. Neither team will be able to use weather as an excuse, and it should be a high-octane match.

Whoever scores the first has a strong likelihood of finishing with the win, but this game is far more essential for the Dutch. A win today gives them the requisite four points to advance, and makes their final tie against Tunisia a chance to play some reserves and simply score for fun.

The Hooligan Take

The Netherlands will score first, but Sweden will mount a comeback. There will be plenty of goals, but the final result will be Netherlands 3 – 2 Sweden.