World Cup Qualifiers: Netherlands vs. Turkey Preview, Odds, Prediction

Johan Cruijff Arena will host two big candidates for the top spot in Group G of the World Cup qualifiers – Netherlands and Turkey. These two are just one point away from one another, with the Turks sitting in first place, winning 11 points in five games. They hold a victory against Oranje, whom they defeated in the first leg played in Istanbul pretty confidently. To make the situation even more complicated, we need to say that Norway also aims the first place in this assembly, as Haaland and the crew have 10 points too. This makes Group G the most interesting of all in the entire European zone of the qualifiers.

Preview

Netherlands (-300) defeated Montenegro this weekend, 4-0, which was a great bounce back following a disappointing 1-1 in Norway. To be honest, Oranje was better in that game, but they simply couldn’t score more goals. If Louis Van Gaal’s side isn’t successful in this event, the slip in Norway could easily cost them World Cup participation.

Oranje had one very nasty experience at the past EURO, with them suffering elimination in the Round of 16 against the Czech Republic. They were one of few teams in the championship with all three wins during the group, but failed miserably in the knockout stage.

Overall, the Netherlands is an attacking-minded team, able to score two or more goals in a matter of minutes. Only two of the last 10 matches in which the Oranje played haven’t seen them netting at least twice.

Turkey (+800) suffered a shock at home last Wednesday, when Montenegro equalized in the 95th minute, stripping two points off the Turks’ account. If they don’t advance to Qatar, Turkish fans will remember this goal for a long, long time.

After that, Senol Gunes and his team defeated Gibraltar on the road, 0-3; however, struggling a lot during the first half. We can say that Turkey didn’t look so convincing during these 90 minutes.

Five of their last seven games were with both teams not to score, but four of the latest five saw three or more hits.

Latest News

Van Dijk is coming back on the pitch, according to the sources from the Netherlands.

In the Turkish team, all the players are ready to play on Tuesday night.

Head to Head Matches

Turkey trashed Oranje in the past two games with a combined goal difference of 7-2. In March this year, Turkey hosted the Netherlands, beating them 4-2, with Burak Yilmaz scoring three goals, one especially beautiful from the free-kick.

Prediction

This is a match in which the hosts have to take three points. It is a decisive one for this generation of players, and potentially for Van Gaal, who might easily lose his job in case Oranje isn’t victorious on Tuesday. The fans, the quality, the form, everything is on the side of a Dutch team, and they are obliged to justify the status of the favorite. Our pick would be the Netherlands to win with a -1.5 goal handicap. The odds for that are -110.

Pick: the Netherlands to win with -1.5 handicap -110