Netherlands National Team World Cup Betting
The Netherlands are back in the World Cup after missing out on the biggest event in soccer in 2018. The Dutch are heavy favorites to win Group A, as they were the Pot 2 team that benefited the most from the World Cup draw. Their World Cup betting odds were essentially cut in half after being placed in Group A because the oddsmakers expect the Flying Dutchmen to top the group and have a favorable matchup against the runner-up from Group B in the Round of 16.
Manager: Louis van Gaal
Nicknames: The Flying Dutchmen, Oranje, Holland, Clockwork Orange
Confederation: UEFA (Europe)
FIFA Ranking: 10 (March 2022)
Netherlands World Cup Betting Odds
To Win Group A: -250
To Win 2022 World Cup: +1400
*Odds as of May 4, 2022
Netherlands Group Stage Schedule
Senegal vs. Netherlands, Monday, November 21, 2022, 5 a.m. ET, at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha (FOX)
Netherlands vs. Ecuador, Friday, November 25, 2022, 11 a.m. ET, at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan (FOX)
Netherlands vs. Qatar, Tuesday, November 29, 2022, 10 a.m. ET, at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor (FOX)
History at the World Cup
Appearances: 10 (first in 1934)
Best Result: Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)
The Netherlands is probably the most talented country to have never won the World Cup. The Dutch have fielded some great teams over the last several decades, but they have been unable to claim the greatest prize in international soccer.
We only saw the Dutch qualify for the World Cup twice before their great teams in the 1970s helped change the way the world viewed football. Johan Cruyff led the Oranje all the way to the World Cup Finals in 1974, winning the Golden Ball as the best player at the competition with his Total Football. The Flying Dutchmen lost to West Germany, but they were one of the favorites heading into the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
Unfortunately, Cruyff did not participate in the competition after a kidnapping attempt on his family. Still, the Netherlands had enough talent to repeat their success despite a surprising loss to Scotland in the initial Group Stage. They beat Italy to earn a spot in the finals as Rob Rensenbrink had five goals in the competition, but they lost in extra time to Argentina in the finals.
Holland has made it to the semifinals five times in 10 trips to the World Cup. The Dutch earned a fourth-place finish at the 1998 World Cup as Frank de Boer, Edgar Davids, and Dennis Bergkamp were all named to the All-Star Team. They were one of the last four teams remaining at the 2010 World Cup and 2014 World Cup as well.
Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben came up clutch for the Dutch as they defeated Slovakia, Brazil, and Uruguay on the way to the World Cup Finals where they faced Spain. Their back line was solid throughout the game, but Andres Iniesta scored in the 116th minute to give Spain its first World Cup.
The Netherlands hammered Spain 5-1 in their first match at the 2014 World Cup, leading to La Roja crashing out in the Group Stage. Robin Van Persie and Robben both notched braces, and the Oranje went on to defeat Mexico and Costa Rica in the knockout rounds before falling to Argentina in penalty kicks in the semifinals. The Dutch managed to beat a shellshocked Brazil 3-0 in the third-place playoff to earn their fourth podium finish.
What to Watch
Some of the young Ajax players that led the Dutch club past Real Madrid and Juventus and into the semifinals of the 2019 Champions League are the big stars of this squad. Frenkie de Jong is a talented two-way midfielder, and Matthijs de Ligt is set to be one of the finest central defenders in the world for the next decade. Liverpool center back Virgil van Dijk is the captain and arguably the best at his position in the world, and former teammate Georginio Wijnaldum is the second leading active goal scorer with 26 tallies in 86 matches.
However, the finishing in the final third is not as clean as we have seen in the past from the Netherlands. Luuk de Jong and Quincy Promes never really lived up to their hype, and Memphis Depay has been an up-and-down player throughout his career. Depay has largely performed well for the Oranje with 39 goals in 77 matches.
The return of Louis van Gaal should help too as he is a significant improvement over Frank De Boer. This is Van Gaal’s third stint managing the Netherlands as he ran the national team from 2000-01 and from 2012-2014.
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