Netherlands – Czech Republic

We hope you’re ready for some more amazing football from the Euro 2020 because today we are heading to the Puskas Arena in Budapest. That’s where the Netherlands will face the Czech Republic in one of the 1/8-finals games from the competition. We are here for you, so let’s check it out in these best soccer tips for today.

The Netherlands were really flawless in the group stage where they showed their qualities as a team. Oranje won all of their three games in the group and comfortably won the first place. Some might say the level of their opposition was not the highest – that’s partly true, but at the same time it’s never easy to win all of your games at such a big competition. They made a statement with their performance so far, and we should not underestimate these achievements.

The Netherland’s head coach Frank de Boer uses a classic 3-4-3 formation from the beginning of the competition. He almost never makes any changes in his line-up, but it wasn’t the case during the 3-0 win over North Macedonia in the third round of the group stage. De Boer decided to take Wout Weghorst out of the starting eleven, replacing him with PSV’s Donyell Malen. This proved to be a good decision as Malen assisted for one of Oranje’s goals against the Lynxes. Weghorst at the other hand is still goalless since the start of the competition, so it won’t be entirely surprising if Donyell Malen starts against the Czech Republic as well.

Two players form the Netherlands’ firepower in attack so far. This is the captain Georginio Wijnaldum and Barcelona’s new signing Memphis Depay. They have scored five of the team’s goals so far, and that’s the players the Czech team must be really careful about. At this competition Gini Wijnaldum is usually playing behind the strikers, and his attacking runs are extremely dangerous. He has scored three times in the three matches so far. Memphis Depay on the other hand has scored twice and he brings a lot of dynamic to Oranje’s offensive game.

We talked about the Netherlands’ goalscorers, but we shouldn’t neglect the man who brings Oranje’s game to life – Frenkie de Jong. The Barcelona star is the player who touches the ball during every attack of the team. He distributes it, he changes the tempo and dictates what’s happening in the middle area of the pitch. What the Czech team must try to do is isolate De Jong from the game and make him less decisive for his team. But yeah, we know – it sounds easier than it actually is. He’s a terrific player and surely one of the best Dutch players at the moment. Frenkie de Jong is fan-favorite now, and one of the biggest inspirations of the Dutch national team.

The 25-years old Denzel Dumfries is one of the revelations for Oranje during the Euro 2020. The right wing-back is making some terrific performances for the team. He scored the winning goal during the 3-2 win over Ukraine, and he’s a constant threat on the right flank. It seems that Frank de Boer knows exactly how to use his qualities, so Dumfries is going to be vital for the Netherlands during the knockout stage of the Euro. He has the entire right flank on his disposal, and so far he’s doing really well. Most likely Denzel Dumfries will move to a bigger league after the end of the European Championship. His performances are noticed now.

The Czech Republic got four points in the group stage, and for them this was more than enough to reach the 1/8-finals of the competition. Jaroslav Silhavy’s team lost just one game in their group – against England, which should tell you that they are pretty tough. Except for a few players, this team doesn’t have any household names, but they have a good team chemistry and sometimes it’s even more important.

Patrik Schick is the player the Netherlands must be extra careful about on Sunday. The Bayer Leverkusen striker scored three goals at the Euro 2020 so far, and he’s the biggest danger his team can offer to its opponents. Schick is a tall, but technical striker with a great eye on the goal. He scored an amazing one against Scotland in the group stage, and now more and more people are talking about him. He’s usually the lone striker in Jaroslav Silhavy’s 4-2-3-1 formation, but he’s supported all of the time by players such as Jakub Jankto, Vladimir Darida and Luka Masopust. These four players create the core of the Czech attacks, so this is where Frank de Boer must focus when it comes to defending. But keeping Patrick Schick quiet is the obvious priority.

Another player Oranje will focus on is the incredibly influential midfielder Tomas Soucek. He made his name with West Ham United’s shirt in the Premier League and now has the reputation of a very classy player. Soucek is the beating heart of the Czech Republic, and its driving force in the midfield area. His shape and performance are having a huge influence on what the team is doing in the middle of the pitch, so we don’t expect it to be different on Sunday. Most likely Frank de Boer will instruct his central midfielders to keep a special eye on Soucek in the midfield area.

That’s the best soccer tips for today for the Euro 2020 1/8-finals fixture between the Netherlands and the Czech Republic in Budapest. It’s an interesting fact that these two teams were in the same group during the Euro 2004 when the Czech side reached the 1/2-finals of the competition. The Czech Republic celebrated a 3-2 win then, but it’s always a very different deal in the knockout phase. Right now Oranje are the favorites to progress, but they need to be at their best – the Czech Republic are not a joke.