Euro 2020: Netherlands vs Czech Republic match preview- news, lineups

The Netherlands face the Czech Republic in the last-16 stage of Euro 2020 today evening at the Puskas Arena, where they are expected to perform much like their previous games, flawless.

The Netherlands breezed through Group C to reach the knockout stages, while the Czech Republic qualified for the elite 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams.

Netherlands vs Czech Republic match preview

There is no better time for the

to beat the Netherlands for the third time in a row, and the possibility to follow in the footsteps of the 2004 champions should motivate them.

, on the other hand, have quality in abundance in all areas of the pitch and have firmly established a marker with their group-stage exploits, so we can only hope that they will advance to the next stage.

Form analysis

Let’s take a look back at the previous games of these two teams and judge their performance based on their results.

Netherlands

Against Macedonia,

broke the deadlock on the day, and the soon-to-be Barcelona forward turned provider for Georginio Wijnaldum to increase the lead, before the ex-Liverpool star poured the icing on the cake in the 58th minute with his second and Oranje's third.

The Netherlands' ruthlessness has been on display at these Championships, with no other team in the group stage scoring more than eight goals in three matches, and De Boer's side scoring at least two goals in each of their last ten matches in all competitions.

After some pre-tournament pessimism about the Netherlands' chances, De Boer is progressively winning over his detractors with a new-look 3-4-1-2 configuration, and another welcome fixture with Wales or

awaits if the Netherlands proceed as expected.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic was the third team to be foiled by England's tenacious defense at Wembley, as a first-half header from

was all that separated the two sides during a low-key match in the English capital.

Despite suffering their solitary defeat of the group stage at Wembley, the Czech Republic's triumph over Scotland and tough draw with

were enough for them to advance as one of the finest third-placed teams, and they have been rewarded with a match of monumental proportions.

Netherlands vs Czech Republic – head-to-head in all competition

If we take a look at their head-to-head history we will quickly notice that the Netherlands had a rough time every time they went against the Czech Republic.

In a total of 11 games, the “Oranje” have managed to beat their rival 3 times and equalize 3 times.

Czech Republic on the other hand has managed to beat its opponent 5 times, making history painful to remember for the players in the orange uniforms. Their first match was on 16 Nov 1994 in the Euro 1994 which ended in a draw.

During the group stage of Euro 2004, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic played out a thrilling five-goal thriller, with Milan Baros and Vladimir Smicer completing a remarkable Czech comeback in a 3-2 win, and Oranje also lost to the Czechs by the same scoreline in their most recent match in October 2015.

Line-ups and formation

Let us get into the details of each team's XI and the possible changes that managers would think of.

Netherlands

After suffering a knee injury, Netherlands forward Luuk de Jong will miss the rest of the tournament, but he only played 10 minutes in the group stage, so he won't be missed too much.

In any event, De Boer faces a dilemma up top, as Wout Weghorst will be hoping to unseat Liverpool-linked Donyell Malen alongside the crucial Depay.

Weghorst's athletic strength and 6ft 5in frame may be favored against the tough Czechs, while Marten de Roon, who was rested against North Macedonia, should return to the XI.

Netherlands probable lineup: Stekelenburg; De Vrij,

, De Ligt; Dumfries, De Jong, De Roon, Van Aanholt; Wijnaldum; Depay, Weghorst

Czech Republic

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic will be obliged to make a change at left-back after Jan Boril received his second yellow card of the tournament against England, so Ales Mateju of Brescia might fill in.

Despite their poor performance at Wembley, Silhavy should not make any big changes to his starting lineup, with the only genuine concern for the Czech coach being Tomas Soucek's midfield partner, as Alex Kral and Tomas Holes battle it out for the slot.

Vladimir Darida has recently become a new doubt after suffering an unidentified injury in training, but he still has a chance to make the team.

Czech Republic probable lineup: Vaclik;

, Celustka, Kalas, Mateju; Holes, Soucek; Masopust, Darida, Jankto; Schick

Prediction

We have decided to go against history and based on the amazing performance of the Dutch, we guess that the game would be in the Netherlands' favor.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Czech doesn’t have a chance but it’s quite the opposite; the Czech Republic has a great chance of beating its opponent as they both go neck to neck when it comes to comparing both teams. However, as mentioned before the Netherlands would probably come out victorious by the result of 1-0.

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