Qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup continues this week and on the 27th of March we have a meeting between Holland and Latvia at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam.
This is a Group G game, that includes Turkey, Norway, Montenegro, and Gibraltar.
🙌 Turkey kick off their #WCQ campaign by sinking the pool favourites, while Norway and Montenegro also begin with victories. Bring on a showdown between first and second on Saturday! 🎆 pic.twitter.com/j8IoEK9ZVb— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 24, 2021
🙌 Turkey kick off their #WCQ campaign by sinking the pool favourites, while Norway and Montenegro also begin with victories. Bring on a showdown between first and second on Saturday! 🎆 pic.twitter.com/j8IoEK9ZVb
Holland come into the match on the back of a disappointing 4-2 defeat in Turkey. The Dutch were the favourites to win the game but found themselves 3-0 down after only 46 minutes.
Two quick-fire goals with 15 minutes remaining on the clock gave Holland a chance of taking something from the match but Turkey responded with another goal of their own and the hosts took maximum points.
That result ended a run of 5 games without defeat for Holland and they need to bounce back with a victory at home. However, the Dutch have struggled to win in recent home fixtures and they have recorded just a single victory from their last 4 home matches.
The win came against Bosnia in the Nations League but prior to that victory, Holland were defeated by Italy and Mexico plus held to a draw by Spain.
Trends show Holland have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 4 home matches. However, they have not conceded more than a single goal in each of their last 7 home fixtures.
Latvia travel to Amsterdam having suffered a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Montenegro. It was a game Latvia were targeting as one they could win along with the fixtures against Gibraltar so it was a massive setback early in the campaign. They now face what is arguably the toughest fixture in the group.
Latvia were on a 3 match unbeaten run heading into the game against Montenegro but the fixtures were against lower ranked nations, including Andorra, San Marino, and Faroe Islands.
This match against Holland is a huge step up in quality compared to those teams.
In terms of World Cup qualifying, Latvia struggle away from home and they have picked up just a single victory from their 11 most recent away games.
The win came in Andorra and since then Latvia have lost against Portugal, Switzerland, and Hungary plus been held to a draw by Faroe Islands.
Team news and Holland may make some changes in defence with Denzel Dumfries and Patrick van Aanholt coming into the team. The experienced Ryan Babel may also come into the starting XI.
Latvia may also choose to make a couple of changes and they are likely to play in a more defensive shape than their previous game. Roberts Uldriķis may drop out of the starting XI in favour of a midfielder or defender.
Holland come into this game as the huge favourites to win despite the fact they lost their previous match. We expect to see