The Netherlands and Italy do battle in the UEFA Nations League third-place play-off at FC Twente’s De Grolsch Veste on Sunday afternoon.
The Dutch were knocked out via an extra-time defeat to World Cup semi-finalists Croatia, while the Italians lost to Spain in the semi-finals.
💥 Back to work @ KNVB Campus, Zeist 📍#NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/JqUiiIupbw— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) June 15, 2023
💥 Back to work @ KNVB Campus, Zeist 📍#NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/JqUiiIupbw
Many believed that the Netherlands and Italy would reach the final at De Kuip, but the two giants of European football will have to compete for third place.
After taking the lead in the first half against Croatia, the Netherlands found themselves 2-1 down with seconds remaining before Noa Lang equalised in the 96th minute.
During extra-time, goals from Bruno Petkovic and Luka Modric took the game away from Ronald Koeman’s side, with Croatia securing a 4-2 victory.
The Netherlands have now failed to win three of their previous four matches in all competitions, with two extra-time defeats coming during that period.
When you look at the bigger picture, however, the Dutch have lost just one of their last 23 games in normal time, picking up 15 wins along the way.
As for Italy, they found themselves drawing 1-1 with Spain after 11 minutes, with Ciro Immobile canceling out Yeremy Pino’s early goal.
After seeing 37% possession and facing 16 shots, the Azzurri conceded in the 88th minute, as veteran forward Joselu won the game for La Roja.
It would not be unfair to say that Italy have been wildly inconsistent in recent times, winning four and losing four of their last eight encounters.
On top of that, the Italians have recorded seven wins, four draws and six losses across their previous 17 outings, highlighting their inconsistency.
Head-to-head: The Netherlands and Italy last met in the Nations League back in 2020. Following a 1-0 victory for the Azzurri in Amsterdam, the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in Bergamo.
Thanks to those results, the Italians are currently enjoying a seven-game unbeaten run in this fixture, having picked up three wins and four draws since their last loss against the Dutch.
Team news: Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo and Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen are expected to start in attack for the Netherlands, while Manchester City’s Nathan Ake will likely start at left-back.
On the flip side, Arsenal’s Jorginho and Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella will control Italy’s engine room, with Gianluigi Donnarumma operating between the sticks.
Given the drama that occurred in both semi-finals earlier this week, Sunday’s showdown looks destined to be another thrilling encounter.
Forebet predicts that the Netherlands and Italy will play out an eventful draw in normal time, meaning that extra-time and/or penalties will be needed to determine the winner.