Spain vs Netherlands Preview

Spain and the Netherlands will meet this Sunday in the second leg of their Nations League quarter-final tie.

Both sides played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg with a stoppage-time equaliser earning Spain a valuable point ahead of this game. They have home advantage for the second leg, which will be played at Valencia’s Mestalla, and Spain will need all the advantages they can get to advance after winning just one of their last nine against the Netherlands (D3, L5).

Overcoming that psychological hurdle against the Dutch will be tough, but there are still plenty of positive omens for Luis de la Fuente’s men here. The hosts are currently on an incredible 17-match unbeaten run (W14, D3), a set of results that saw them win the 2024 European Championships. Also, the defending Nations League champions won all three of their home games in the Nations League group stage, and they haven’t failed to win consecutive competitive games since they were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup.

Meanwhile, while the Netherlands have a commanding head-to-head record against Spain, they come into this tie in poor form. The Oranje have won just one of their last six internationals (D4, L1), all of which came in this competition.

However, they have tended to perform well in the Nations League, reaching the final in two of the previous three editions. But to do so in this edition, they’ll have to win on the road for the first time in this Nations League cycle (D2, L1).