Netherlands vs Hungary Preview

The Netherlands will return to Nations League action this Saturday when they welcome Hungary to the Johan Cruijff Arena.

Ronald Koeman’s men and Hungary are battling for second spot in this group, with Germany already the outright group winners heading into the penultimate game. Both sides are tied on five points, so the winner of this clash will actually secure second spot before the final game.

However, it’s the Netherlands who enter the game as hot favourites boosted by a record of nine wins across the last ten H2Hs (D1). The last five of those wins saw the Dutch score at least four goals.

While that would hint at another handsome victory here, the sole draw in that sequence came in the reverse fixture earlier in this Nations League campaign, suggesting it won’t be an easy game here. So it may take another free-scoring performance to claim the spoils here, too, as the Netherlands have conceded twice in each of their two Nations League home games this cycle (W1, D1).

Meanwhile, Hungary will hope they can succeed where Germany and Bosnia failed by beating the Netherlands. But the enormity of their task cannot be understated. While the winner of this clash will advance to the quarter-finals, the loser will be consigned to a bottom-two finish, which puts Hungary’s two-cycle stint in the Nations League top flight at risk of coming to an end.

Extending their three-match unbeaten run in the Nations League (W1, D2) with another draw would at least take the fight to the last day but given that the last game will come against table-topping Germany, they will want to get things wrapped up here with victory.