Romania vs Netherlands: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

We expect a very tight game given the point we are at in the tournament. Netherlands conceded three in their last game against Austria, so could opt for a more reserved approach in this one. Whilst Romania scored four goals in the group stages, they were unable to get past Belgium, and it may be a similar story against a superior Netherlands team.

Memphis Depay will likely be the key player for the Dutch after getting up and running last time out, and he should be confident in getting success against a defence who has not kept a clean sheet in their last two. Alternatively, Romania will look to Nicolae Stanciu, who averages 2.27 shots per 90 minutes for his country, and if they are to threaten, he will almost certainly be involved. However, one goal could be enough to win this game, and we expect Netherlands to edge this one and progress – Romania 0-1 Netherlands

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The knockout stages of the European Championships have arrived, and Romania take on Netherlands with a place in the quarter-final at stake.

Date: 02/07/24

Kick-off time: 17:00

Venue: Allianz Arena

Romania have been one of the surprises of the tournament so far, after they finished top of a group which contained Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine. This is mainly because of their perfect start to the tournament, as they beat Ukraine 3-0 in their group opener. They suffered a setback in their second fixture, a 2-0 loss to Belgium, but recovered well to pick up the point they needed to progress. With their draw against Slovakia, they ensured a place in the Round of 16 for the first time since Euro 2000.

In contrast, Netherlands have been underwhelming so far in the Euros. It was always a tough task to finish top of a group containing France, but neither were able get the job done, instead finishing behind Austria. As a result of a win, draw and loss, Netherlands were the best third place team, setting up this meeting with Romania.

A tight game could be on the cards, despite the number of goals involved in both sides’ games so far. In three games, Netherlands have conceded four goals, though managed to keep a clean sheet against France. However, they face a Romania attack which could cause them some trouble, particularly through the likes of Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus. The former has already scored twice in the tournament, only Georges Mikautadze of Georgia has scored more.

Ronald Koeman has plenty of quality to lean on, despite their disappointing showing so far. Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo has also scored twice, making it 11 goals so far in his young international career. Alongside him is Memphis Depay, who netted his first of the competition last time out against Austria. The pair will be hopeful in causing problems for a defence which has been solid so far, letting in just three goals. The Romania defence kept three consecutive clean sheets before their last two games.

These two sides have met 13 times before. Unsurprisingly, Netherlands have been the far superior team, winning nine of these games and losing just once. This defeat came in 2007 during European Championship qualifying. The pair then met again in the 2008 tournament, with Netherlands coming out on top 2-0. The Dutch are in the midst of a four game winning streak against their opponents which Romania will be desperate to snap. The most recent fixture between the pair came in an international friendly in 2017. Netherlands won 3-0 with goals coming from Depay, Ryan Babel and Luuk de Jong.

Romania vs Netherlands will be available to watch on BBC One.

Romania

Striker Denis Alibec missed the first game against Ukraine through injury before returning off the bench in the second. He was an unused substitute last time out, but expect him to play a bigger role in this one. They should have no new injury concerns otherwise.

Netherlands

Xavi Simons dropped to the bench against Austria after starting the first two games. The midfielder was used as a substitute, so expect him to play a prominent role once more. Ronald Koeman should have no injury concerns.

Romania

In their last five games, Romania have won one, lost one and drawn three. Romania had endured a difficult stretch but they were able to pick up an incredible result with a 3-0 win against Ukraine in their opening group stage fixture. Nicolae Stanciu opened the scoring on half an hour with a stunning finish into the top left hand corner from long range. Razvan Marin doubled the lead with another strike from outside the box, with the ball eluding goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Denis Dragus scored a third moments later to put the game to bed.

They were unable to continue this momentum into the second game as they took on group favourites Belgium. It ended 2-0 to their opponents, with Youri Tielemans opening the scoring after just two minutes. Kevin De Bruyne put the game to bed late on. They needed at least a point to advance to the knockout stages, and they achieved this with a 1-1 draw against Slovakia. Their opponents took the lead through Ondrej Duda after 24 minutes, but Romania equalised less than 15 minutes from the spot, a penalty converted by Marin.

Their preparations for this tournament ended with a pair of goalless draws against both Bulgaria and Liechtenstein. The first of these came at home to Bulgaria, in what was an even game of limited opportunities, and neither were unable to take advantage of any chances. It was a very similar story against Liechtenstein, as their struggles in front of goal continued. However, they showcased some strengths at the back with a second consecutive clean sheet.

Netherlands

In their last five games, Netherlands have won three, drawn one and lost one. Netherlands were in good form heading into the tournament, and started their Euros campaign with a win and draw in their first two group stage games. The first came against Poland, in which they had to come from behind to secure all three points. Taking on a side who were missing striker Robert Lewandowski, they conceded after 16 minutes to Adam Buksa. However, they did not trail for long as Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo found the equaliser. The game looked to be heading for a draw, but the Dutch were rewarded for their dominance with a late Wout Weghorst winner.

Against France they were able to record a goalless draw, giving them the opportunity to win the group on the final matchday. Both teams had their chances, but neither were able to find the breakthrough. Xavi Simons had a goal ruled out in the second half for offside after a lengthy VAR review. However, they fell to an end-to-end 3-2 defeat to Austria in the final game. They were already through, but this result meant they finished third in the group. Their opponents went ahead three times, with Gakpo and Memphis Depay responding to an own goal from Donyell Malen and further strikes from Romano Schmid and Marcel Sabitzer.

They came into the competition having won back-to-back games 4-0 in preparation. The first of these was against Canada. They repeated this scoreline against Iceland, again dominating throughout. Simons scored the first, and Virgil van Dijk netted his second in as many games to make it two. Malen and Weghorst were also on the scoresheet.

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