The Three Lions to roar against the Dutch
England look to continue their improvement under Gareth Southgate when they face rejuvenated Holland but can the Three Lions find their roar or will the Dutch come through with flying colours. Read our preview to find out more:
Strength in depth
When the England manager announced the players he would be dropping in order to slim down his squad this week there were a few eyebrows raised at Kieran Trippier being sent home.
The full-back was the most creative player at the World Cup in Russia and despite having an average season, at least by his standards, at Tottenham he still plays an important part for England.
Southgate justified his omission by simply stating that Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold had performed better across the season. It is hard to argue against that and the depth available to England is hugely impressive.
If they can find a creative edge in midfield, perhaps by going for Jack Grealish now that he has returned to the Premier League with Aston Villa, then it is hard to see England struggling to match anyone.
The Three Lions have, much like the Dutch, gone through a period of transition to a new exciting generation of players and there are more young men just waiting for their chance in the youth teams.
What Southgate does need to do, is show that they can take this promising squad to another level, in the same sort of way Joachim Low did with Germany back in 2014.
Holland on the up
The Dutch are also going with the England model of blooding a new generation of young players and it too, is reaping rewards.
They are perhaps still a step behind England in their development but are, arguably, catching up fast. Ajax have been key to this with the development of several young stars including Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van der Beek and Frenkie de Jong.
Ronald Koeman is the best coach to get them playing and Memphis Depay has shown he can drive them forward in attack while defensive star Virgil van Dijk is just world class.
An exciting time to wear orange it appears!
Well matched, well priced
These two nations have, historically, be fairly well matched (except in Euro 1996 where England smashed four past the Dutch, sorry had to get that in there) and that appears to be the case again as we head into the Nations League semi-final.
The form suggests that neither struggle to find the net having both scored in their last five games and often more than once. Against weaker opposition, they look very strong, which was never the case with England under previous managers and they have young players eager to prove themselves.
All this adds up to a well-priced game of football in the markets and promises a fairly even game on the pitch.
Netherlands vs England betting tip
Looking at the markets there is a fair bit of value to be had but you just need to work a little harder to find it. Both the Netherlands and England play decent football and have players that can score goals but the Three Lions could just edge it so backing England to win and both teams to score at 15/4 should be a market to generate some interest.
