A good opportunity for the Netherlands.

The first semi-final of the UEFA Nations League 2023 will take place early tomorrow morning (June 15) at the De Kuip stadium (Rotterdam) as the home team, the Netherlands, hopes to overcome Croatia to secure a place in the final, scheduled for June 19.

Croatia, runners-up and third-place finishers in the last two World Cups, will be a major obstacle in the Netherlands' quest for their first international title since EURO 1988. The "Oranje" were unbeaten in a group that included Belgium, Poland, and Wales, despite the resignation of their qualifying manager, Van Gaal, following their defeat to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.

Gakpo is considered a good replacement for Depay in the Dutch national team's attack.

New coach Koeman's task is to achieve a better result than his previous Nations League campaign (the Netherlands were runners-up in 2019). This will not be easy due to the withdrawal of talented striker Depay. However, other forwards like Gakpo and Malen have just had an impressive season, De Jong has played excellently with Barcelona, ​​and the defense is full of top-class defenders despite De Ligt's absence due to injury. With the support of the home crowd in the Netherlands' noisiest stadium, the "Oranje" must certainly aim for a place in the final.

For Croatia, this is seen as the last chance for their golden generation, led by Modric. The "Vatreni" lost to Austria (0-3) in their opening group stage match at home a year ago (Modric was absent), but they bounced back spectacularly by beating Denmark twice, winning in France and Austria to top the group and secure a place in the finals.

Coach Dalic often prefers to field his strongest starting lineup, so fans will certainly see some tactical changes, especially after Gvardiol was unable to travel to the Netherlands due to injury. Overall, he has a team capable of winning, and the Croatian players will give their all to overcome this semi-final.

Coach Dalic feels most comfortable using a 4-3-3 formation, occasionally switching to a 4-2-3-1, although there are very few differences between the two. In this formation, the midfield trio of Modric, Kovacic, and Brozovic, plus Perisic on the left wing, are almost untouchable. In other areas such as the forward line, right wing, and defense, he is still searching for optimal solutions.

Coach Dalic knows that the Netherlands "have a great team, especially in defense. They are very strong and they have young, strong players," but he "hopes our fans will also speak up" to help the Croatian team overcome this obstacle.

However, victory remains the sole objective for coach Koeman, even though "facing Croatia is always very difficult. They are a very strong team and we need to try our best." The Netherlands lost in the 2019 final and now, "we have the opportunity at home to reach another final."

A three-man defense, wingbacks, a diamond-shaped midfield, two agile and mobile strikers, and a team with many players who can freely swap positions are the hallmarks of Van Gaal's era. It remains to be seen whether Koeman will follow that formula, but what Dutch fans want to see more than anything is their team winning.

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