For The Netherlands, the eternal derby against Germany will be even more important than normal, Germany wants continues to be one of, if not the most, consistent world power.
A loss will most likely end the Netherlands chances of advancing past the Group stage, while another a German will would guarantee them a spot in the quarterfinals. That’s why they call it the Group of Death, “Besides football, qualities such as discipline and the will to work for each other will be required. If the Oranje are able to display such a mentality, and beat the Germans, then Van Marwijk’s team will, in a flash, be among the favorites for the EURO title again, and the streets in the Netherlands will be orange again. That is how small the difference between failure and success is.”
The Germans are coming off a 1-0 win against Portugal but didn’t play their best offensive football. The chances were limited and the chemistry was lacking between upfront men Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez.
Manager Joachim Low hinted veteran striker Miroslav Klose could get the start on Wednesday and told reporters he is not afraid of switching up a winning lineup. Central defender Mats Hummels was dominate and disrupted also all of Portugal’s best scoring chances.
The battle at midfield will be the key for Germany. Playmakers Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil need to feed the ball to attacking teammates past Holland’s physical holding midfielders.
Tactics and lineups
Germany plays a 4-2-3-1 formation with Schweinsteiger and Khedira lined up as the holding midfielders.
Projected lineup: Neur, Boateng, Hummels, Badstuber, Lahm, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Muller, Ozil, Gotze, Klose.
Holland uses the same 4-2-3-1 with a penchant for a high pressure, attacking style.
Projected lineup: Stekelenburg, Van der Wiel, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Willems, De Jong, van Bommel, Robben, Sneijder, Afellay, Huntelaar.
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