The Netherlands face the United States on Saturday afternoon in the first round of 16 tie at the 2022 World Cup.
Louis van Gaal’s Oranje topped Group A with seven points, defeating Senegal and Qatar either side of a draw with Ecuador. The US held their nerve in a tense glut of added time against Iran to preserve a slender 1-0 win, securing their first victory of the competition after successive draws against Wales and England.
Here’s everything you need to know about a knockout clash between two nations that couldn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Netherlands vs USA H2H Results (All Time)
Current Form (Last Five Games)
Netherlands team news
Memphis Depay was fit enough to make his first start in Qatar against the host nation on Tuesday. The Barcelona forward lasted 66 minutes before Van Gaal rested him, managing the minutes of a player on his way back from a lengthy hamstring injury.
Netherlands Starting 11 (3-4-1-2): Noppert; Timber, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, De Roon, F De Jong, Blind; Klaassen; Gakpo, Depay.
Bench: Bijlow, Pasveer, Frimpong, Malacia, De Ligt, De Vrij, Taylor, Koopmeiners, Berghuis, Bergwijn, Janssen, Lang, Simons, L De Jong, Weghorst.
USA team news
Christian Pulisic scored the United States’ winning goal against Iran but injured himself in the process. The Chelsea forward quelled concerns from his hospital bed when he posted an update after the match: “I’ll be ready Saturday, don’t worry.”
However, a spokesperson for nation’s football association warned that the “pelvic contusion” Pulisic suffered would be evaluated “day-to-day”.
Josh Sargent and Weston McKennie were forced off against Iran with ankle and quad injuries respectively. Sargent’s problem is thought to be more severe but the involvement of both is uncertain.
USA Starting 11 (4-3-3): Turner; Dest, Carter-Vickers, Ream, Robinson; McKennie, Adams, Musah; Weah, Wright, Pulisic.
Bench: Horvath, Johnson, Long, Zimmerman, Moore, Scally, Yedlin, Acosta, Roldan, De la Torre, Aaronson, Reyna, Morris, Ferreira, Sargent.
Netherlands win or draw – Netherlands are unbeaten in their last 18 games in all competitions (winning five of the last six), while USA are winless in their last 11 World Cup matches against European nations.
Netherlands to win or the game to end in a draw is currently 1/5*
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