Netherlands vs Scotland

Johan Cruijff ArenA sets the stage for a handsomely-looking international friendly between the Netherlands and Scotland.

The Netherlands’ preparations for Euro 2024, where they’ll share the stage in Group A with host nation Germany, commence off the back of an impressive form to cap off a fruitful qualifying campaign. Ronald Koeman’s men won five of their last six qualifying fixtures (L1) en route to a second-place finish in Group B, four points behind continental powerhouse France. The Oranje will, therefore, take the field in high spirits. Further confidence stems from losing just one of their last 12 matches against Scotland (W7, D4). However, the Netherlands can’t take anything for granted, knowing their six-game form in international friendlies is anything but encouraging (W2, D3, L1). One of those games was a 2-2 draw against Scotland in 2021, which saw them come from behind twice to avoid defeat.

On the other hand, after a failed attempt to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Scotland will feature in back-to-back European Championships for only the second time in the nation’s history, having finished runners-up to Spain in qualifying Group A. However, manager Steve Clarke knows his team must improve if they’re to avoid being ‘tourists’ in Germany as they head into proceedings winless in their last five international fixtures (D2, L3). Defensive frailties plagued Scotland during that run, with the Tartan Army conceding 2+ goals in all five matches, which has only been the case in one of their last three encounters against the Netherlands. But more ominous is the fact they had failed to score in four straight H2Hs before the abovementioned draw three years ago.