Netherlands vs Scotland

Friendlies 1

The Johan Cruijff ArenA sets the stage as the Netherlands welcomes Scotland for an international friendly on Friday evening.

These two teams last clashed in June 2021, resulting in a 2-2 draw at Portugal's Estadio Algarve. Ronald Koeman, amidst a turbulent return as the Netherlands' manager in early 2023, managed to steer his team to a positive conclusion for the year. The Dutch secured five victories out of six matches, securing qualification for Euro 2024 after a challenging start that saw them lose three of their initial four games.

Despite collecting 18 points from eight Group B encounters, the Oranje settled for second place behind France, who dominated them in both home and away fixtures with a combined score of 6-1. Ranked sixth globally by FIFA, the Netherlands have encountered difficulties against similarly prestigious European teams in recent years. Koeman aims to address this as they face a resurgent Scotland and Germany in friendly encounters this month.

While the Netherlands may be favorites, boasting an undefeated streak against Scotland in their last five encounters, their recent performance in friendlies has been lackluster, winning just four of their last 12 such matches.

Scotland arrives in Amsterdam amidst a five-game winless streak across all competitions, with draws against Georgia (2-2) and Norway (3-3) rounding off their 2023 Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Despite this, the Tartan Army clinched second place in Group A behind Spain, securing automatic qualification to their fourth European Championship.

Steve Clarke's side, who won five consecutive qualifiers earlier in the year, aims to carry momentum into the Euros, facing a challenging group stage against hosts Germany, Hungary, and Switzerland. The journey begins with a formidable test against the Netherlands.

Ranked 34th globally by FIFA, Scotland has struggled away from home, winning just three of their last ten away internationals and only one of their last seven away friendlies. Their last victory against the Netherlands dates back to November 2003.

Injuries have impacted both sides, with notable absences such as Ajax's Brian Brobbey and Scotland's Grant Hanley and Scott McKenna. However, new faces like Feyenoord's Quinten Timber and RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons could make impactful debuts.

As the match approaches, potential lineups for both teams suggest intense competition on the field:

Netherlands possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, Koopmeiners, De Roon, Hartman; Simons, Malen; Weghorst

Scotland possible starting lineup:

Clark; Cooper, Hendry, Tierney; Patterson, McTominay, McGinn, Robertson; Ferguson; Adams, Dykes