Netherlands vs Ukraine Prediction & Betting Tips - Euro

Prediction published on 10/06/2021, 00:15  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 10/06/2021 at 06:22 in Euro Predictions

After missing the last two major tournaments, the Netherlands are back on the big stage and will want to start their Euro 2020 campaign on a high when they take on Ukraine in Group D on Sunday. This match will be hosted at the Amsterdam Arena so the Dutch will have the advantage of playing on home soil, not just this, but each of their three group stage matches. However, the Netherlands aren’t as high flying this time as they were 12 months ago. They saw their coach, Ronald Koeman depart for Barcelona and key man Virgil van Dijk go down with injury, but will still look to have an impact on their return to the big stage. The Dutch go to this game unbeaten in their last four matches, winning three, while they’ve scored two goals or more in each of their last seven matches. They are also unbeaten in their last five matches on home soil, with three wins in there, and in the process scoring 10 goals. Their main man in attack, Memphis Depay has benefitted from the postponement of this competition, as he struggled with injury last year. Going to this game, he is in a better shape and after scoring 20 Ligue 1 goals at Lyon, and a move to Barcelona in the rumor mill, he will be one of the players expected to light up this competition.

Ukraine will present very tricky opponents for the Dutch, and having won both their warm up matches, and with clean sheets, means the Ukrainians go here high in confidence. They beat Northern Ireland 1-0 before seeing off Cyprus 4-0, to stretch their unbeaten run to six matches, though the earlier four were all draws, one of them in Paris, against world champions France. While they hold a six-game unbeaten run, Ukraine haven’t won a lot of their recent matches. In their last 13 matches, they have three wins and only once in that run have they scored more than one goal. They have three clean sheets only in their last 15 matches. Playing away from home isn’t Ukraine’s strong point and though this comes in a tournament setting, facing the Dutch in Amsterdam will feel like an away game. They have no win in their last seven away matches, losing five of them. Their recent runs aside, Ukraine have a talented and well balanced squad and with a good strategy, they can trouble their hosts.