The 4th Official
·20 September 2022
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·20 September 2022
Netherlands will lock horns with Poland at the PGE Narodowy this Thursday night as they focus on securing a victory away from home in the UEFA Nations League. The Dutch players secured a hard-fought 3-2 win over Wales last June which will keep them in high spirits ahead of this European clash in midweek.
Louis van Gaal will set his men up in a 3-4-3 formation and could be inclined to make a couple of changes to his first XI for this game. Denzel Dumfries and Steven Berghuis might get a chance to play from the start in this Nations League contest on the road. Both Dutch wide players could get a rare chance to impress with their national team later this week.
Defence
Jasper Cillessen will feature in goal for the visitors as he tries to secure a clean sheet away in Warsaw. Van Gaal is expected to opt for a back three of Matthijs de Ligt, Virgil Van Dijk and Stefan De Vrij for this game. He will instruct all three centre-backs to give a good account of themselves on the defensive end of the field.
Bruno Martins Indi and Daley Blind could offer cover for the defensive positions on the bench.
Netherlands
Midfield
Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners will anchor the midfield for the Netherlands as they try to produce an impressive display collectively at the centre of the park.
Tyrell Malacia will fill in as the left wing-back while Denzel Dumfries gets a chance to catch the eye on the right flank. Both of them need to make some adventurous runs out on the wide areas in support of their teammates inside the Poland penalty box.
Davy Klaassen and Steven Bergwijn will have to settle for a spot on the bench as they await their chance to shine in the second half if needed.
Attack
Cody Gakpo will probably get a chance to impress as the left-winger while Steven Berghuis tries to put in an influential performance from the right. Memphis Depay could get the responsibility to spearhead van Gaal’s attack down the middle. The Barcelona striker would have to carry most of the goal-scoring workload on his own up top.
Wout Weghorst will be available for selection on the Netherlands bench and might come on as a physical threat in the latter stages of the contest if the Dutch players are in need of a goal by then.