Netherlands – Austria
The Netherlands will aim to record a second consecutive win at the Euro 2020 when they face Austria on Thursday in Amsterdam. This is a match from Group C of the competition, so let’s take our attention to it in these free soccer predictions for today.
For the Dutch side it was a dramatic first game, but at the end they managed to take a 3-2 win against Ukraine at the Johan Cruijff Arena. The manager Frank de Boer was not happy with the way his team missed to close the game, having two goals advantage. Georginio Wijnaldum and Wout Weghorst scored for Oranje, but between the 75th and the 79th minute the Ukrainian side scored twice. It was PSV’s Denzel Dumfries who became here for the Netherlands with a winning goal in the 85th minute of the match. He executed an assist from Nathan Ake and put the ball behind the goalkeeper Georgiy Bushchan.
The head coach Frank de Boer didn’t surpise us and used his favorite 3-4-3 formation against Ukraine. Frenkie de Jong, Marten de Roon and Gini Wijnaldum operated in midfield while Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst started in attack. The Dutch side demonstrated some nice fluid football, but De Boer was surely not happy with the lack of focus in the last 15 minutes of the game.
It won’t be entirely surprising if Frank de Boer makes some changes in his line-up for the next game. Ake, Wijndal, Luuk de Jong, Veltman and Malen all entered the pitch as substitutions against Ukraine, so some of them could be in the starting eleven on Thursday. Ajax’s Davy Klaassen on the other hand is an interesting option for the midfield area. If De Boer decides to refresh his defense than guys like Nathan Ake and Joel Veltman would be ready to take responsibility.
Juventus’ center-back Matthijs de Ligt remains the biggest absentee in the Dutch squad. The defender is recovering from an injury, so it’s not entirely clear when he would be welcomed back to the team. At the same time the goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and the midfielder Donny van de Beek had to go home because of injuries as well.
Austria are more than happy with the way they started their Euro 2020 campaign. Managed by the German tactician Franco Foda, Das Team beat North Macedonia with 3-1 in their first game. For Austria this was a historic first win at European Championship. The mood in their dressing room is pretty good at the moment – we are sure about this.
Two late goals secured the three points for Austria against North Macedonia in Bucuresti. Stefan Lainer put Das Team ahead in the first half, but 10 minutes after this Goran Pandev equalised. The conclusion of the game came in the last 12 minutes when the Austrians scored twice. Michael Gregoritsch put Das Team ahead after a beautiful assist from David Alaba while Marko Arnautovic scored the third one in the 89th minute.
In the next few days we should have more information about Marko Arnautovic’ fate. The experienced striker could be suspended of playing because of racism. He made some gestures and remarks after scoring against the Macedonians and this could put an end to his presence at the Euro 2020. This would be a massive hit on Das Team as Arnautovic is arguably the team’s best striker.
Real Madrid’s new signing David Alaba remains Austria’s leader on the pitch. Alaba made a great assist for the decisive second goal against North Macedonia. He crossed the ball in the penalty area and made it easy for Gregoritsch to find the net. He’s leading the defense by example, but he also showed how prolific he could be when joining the attack. Alaba is also a very versatile player, so he could start even in midfield in the next game. That’s a position where he plays a lot at while wearing the national team’s shirt.
RB Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer is another very important player for Austria. Just 24-years old, Laimer already gained some valuable experience in the German Bundesliga. Laimer is a player who gets the ball everytime when Austria tries to organise an attack, so he’s going to be vital on Thursday. Das Team needs him to be at his best levels to have a chance.
We expect more from Stuttgart’s striker Sasa Kalajdzic as well. He found himself in the starting eleven against North Macedonia, but was replaced by Arnautovic who scored one of the goals. Kalajdzic looked kind of isolated few days ago, so it’s not entirely clear if Franco Foda is going to give him a starting place on Thursday.
Julian Baumgartlinger could return in the starting eleven on Thursday. Bayer Leverkusen’s midfielder entered the pitch against North Macedonia in the 93th minute. He was recovering from an injury, so it was the main reason why Foda decided to keep him out of action. If he’s in a good shape now, Baumgartlinger could be a starter against Oranje in Amsterdam. He’s 33-years old now and has a valuable experience in the Bundesliga. Austria will need players like him to deal with the Netherlands’ quality.
The Netherlands and Austria have faced each other 18 times so far and surprisingly Oranje has just a slight advantage in this rivalry. The Dutch team have won eight of these games, while Austria have won six times. Four of the games ended with draws. But here’s something really interesting and important – the Netherlands have won all of their last six matches against this opponent.
That’s the free soccer predictions for today we can offer you about the Euro 2020 game between the Netherlands and Austria at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Thursday. Surely Oranje are favorites here, but don’t forget that they needed a late goal in order to win against Ukraine. Although the Ukrainians are arguably a better side than Austria, Das Team could cause some problems to Frank de Boer’s side. Try not to underestimate them too much – that’s our advice.