Ireland vs Netherlands prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-09-09 18:45.
Manager Stephen Kenny admitted the Republic of Ireland are already nearing must-win territory in their attempts to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024, which would be their first major tournament since 2016. The Boys in Green suffered their third defeat in four matches (W1) when losing 2-0 to France on Thursday, leaving the boss believing they “need a victory” from this home clash with the Netherlands.
The worry for ROI is that their sole success in Group B so far has come against rank outsiders Gibraltar, the only team below them in the table. That win did come on home soil though, where they have been particularly strong of late, beating three of their last four opponents (L1) and netting a trio of goals in each win.
Despite that good form at the Aviva Stadium, supporters may be approaching a fixture with the Netherlands with some trepidation, given that the Dutch have come out on top in five of the nine competitive H2Hs since 1980 (D3, L1). As if that’s not enough, the visitors arrive in Dublin having hammered Greece – a side who sit one place below ROI in the FIFA rankings – 3-0 in midweek.
That was a second win in three qualifying outings for Ronald Koeman’s side (L1), who make the trip west looking to defend a formidable away record of only one defeat on the road (excluding tournament finals appearances) over the last two years (W5, D2). Such form means Oranje will be confident of collecting another three points as they continue their quest to reach Germany, where they will be desperate to make up for an underwhelming record at the tournament finals of just one quarter-final appearance since 2004.
Key battle: Defender Enda Stevens will be hoping for better luck, as he goes in search of his first competitive win playing for ROI since 2019 (D5, L9). It’s a different story for Dutch forward Cody Gakpo, who has never lost an international in which he has scored (W6, D1).
Hot streak: Each of the Netherlands' last seven matches has contained at least three goals.