Euro 2020: Netherlands vs. Ukraine match preview- team news, lineups

After finishing third at the 2014 World Cup, Netherlands did not qualify for Euro 2016 or the 2018 World Cup, but after a seven-year absence from major tournaments, they are back under Frank de Boer. He is at the center of a national debate around his best team and the pressure goes on.

The Dutch will begin their Euro 2020 campaign against Ukraine at home in Amsterdam but their rivals finished unbeaten in European Qualifiers above Portugal in their group.

The Ukraine national team, coached by Andriy Shevchenko, will be looking to be one of the surprises of this Euro 2020.

They have been fairly impressive in recent months and can potentially pack a punch on their day. Andriy Shevchenko's side thrashed Cyprus a 4-0 margin last week and they expect a similar result in this fixture.

Netherlands vs. Ukraine match preview

Netherlands take on Ukraine in Group C of Euro 2020 at Amsterdam Arena on Sunday. These two teams are expected to progress to the knockout stages, so this match could play a key role in determining which side tops the group.

Netherlands

bounced back from a disappointing 2-2 draw with

in their first warm-up friendly by comfortably dispatching Georgia 3-0 last weekend.

Memphis Depay, who bagged a brace against the Scots, continued his fine goalscoring form by converting from the penalty spot in the 10th minute. The Lyon forward scored six goals in his last six games of the season in Ligue 1, and will carry much of his country's attacking burden.

However, in Wout Weghorst,

appears to have a suitable strike partner. The Wolfsburg forward struck 20 times in the Bundesliga this season to help the Wolves qualify for the Champions League for the first time in five years, and the 6ft 6in striker finally opened his international account to double his side's lead against Georgia.

Nineteen-year-old Ryan Gravenberch added further gloss to the victory, with Frank de Boer surely tempted to start the teenager against Ukraine on Sunday. Should the

midfielder receive enough game time throughout the tournament, he has the talent to establish himself as one of the young players of the tournament.

, meanwhile, won both of their warm-up friendlies against Northern Ireland and Cyprus without conceding a goal.

Andriy Shevchenko's side had not kept a clean sheet in any of their six prior outings, so the former

striker will be relieved that his defense appear to be building a solid platform ahead of the tournament.

Having impressively topped their qualifying group ahead of

and Serbia, anything short of progressing to the knockout stages for the first time in a European Championship would have to be considered a serious failure given that Group C is widely perceived as the weakest group at this summer's tournament.

However, Ukraine have certainly not been handed an easy start with a trip to the Netherlands, so avoiding defeat may be seen as a positive step towards their primary aim of reaching the last 16.

Form analysis

De Boer suffered a major blow in the shape of Donny van de Beek's groin injury causing the Manchester United midfield to withdraw from the Netherlands squad, while goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen will not be involved either after testing positive for COVID-19.

Given that Netherlands are already without Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk due to the ACL injury he sustained against

last October, the spine of their team has been significantly weakened.

However, there is still plenty of talent remaining within their ranks, with De Boer seemingly intent on pairing Depay and Weghorst together in attack in a 3-5-2 formation.

Gravenberch will compete with Marten de Roon for a place alongside Georginio Wijnaldum, who recently completed his switch to Paris Saint-Germain, and

in midfield, with the greater experience of the Atalanta man likely to see him win that battle.

In goal, 38-year-old Martin Stekelenburg could be preferred to Tim Krul after looking more secure in the recent friendlies.

Netherlands possible starting lineup:

Stekelenburg; Dumfries, De Ligt, De Vrij, Blind, Wijndal; De Roon, De Jong, Wijnaldum; Weghorst, Depay

On the other hand, Shevchenko has a decision to make in terms of whether to match Netherlands' formation, or persist with the 4-3-3 system, which he has used more recently.

Given that the 44-year-old utilized a three-man defense in their three World Cup qualifiers in March, which helped them gain an impressive 1-1 draw against France, it is expected that Shevchenko may opt to approach this game in a more cautious way.

That could mean the likes of

and West Ham United's Andriy Yarmolenko miss out, with danger man Ruslan Malinovskyi playing off Roman Yaremchuk in attack.

's Oleksandr Zinchenko plays in his preferred midfield position for his country as opposed to left-back, where he is generally deployed for the English champions.

Ukraine possible starting lineup:

Bushchan; Karavayev, Zabarnyi, Kryvtsov, Matviyenko, Mykolenko; Shaparenko, Sydorchuk, Zinchenko; Malinovskyi, Yaremchuk

Netherlands vs. Ukraine - Head-to-head in all competitions

The Netherlands have a good record against Ukraine and have won one out of two games played between the two teams. Ukraine have never defeated the Netherlands in an official fixture and will want to create history today.

The previous match between the two European outfits took place in 2010 and ended in a 1-1 draw. Ukraine have shown tremendous improvement over the past few years and can potentially trouble their opponents in this fixture.

Prediction

While many websites offer different predictions and betting tips, we state here that with both sides potentially deploying 3-5-2 formations, it is tough to envisage a classic at the Amsterdam Arena on Sunday.

Ukraine's last three competitive matches have all ended 1-1, so it would be no surprise to see a repeat of that scoreline, which in truth may suit both teams with potentially easier matches in the group to come.

Netherlands vs. Ukraine Referees

The central referee for the Netherlands vs. Ukraine will be Germany's Felix Brych; Mark Borsch, first line; Stefan Lupp, second line; Bartosz Frankowsk, fourth assistant.

Viewing information

• Date: Sunday, Jun. 13 | Time: 3 p.m. ET

• Location: Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands

• TV: ESPN/Univision

• Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)

• Odds: NED -163; Draw +270; UKR +550 (via William Hill sportsbook)

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