Nations League finals

The first team to reach the 2022/23 Nations League final has been decided after the semi-final between the Netherlands and Croatia tonight. It has been more than 15 years since these two teams met again. The Netherlands reached the Nations League semi-finals four years ago, while Croatia is in the top four for the first time.

The Netherlands were the most impressive team in the Nations League group stage with an unbeaten record, winning 16 points out of a possible 18. The team nicknamed the Orange Hurricane performed well at the 2022 World Cup. They only stopped against champions Argentina in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals.

After the tournament in Qatar, the Netherlands team had an important change. Coach Ronald Koeman replaced his predecessor Louis Van Gaal. The transition was not smooth when Ronald Koeman suffered a 0-3 defeat to France in the EURO 2024 qualifiers. After that, the Netherlands beat Gibraltar 3-0.

Football prediction Netherlands vs Croatia: Compete for Nations League final spot - 1 — The Netherlands will face Croatia in the semi-finals of the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League.

The opening two matches have not said much about the Dutch team under coach Koeman. However, the "Orange whirlwind" is probably not much different from four years ago when they reached the Nations League semi-finals under the guidance of this same coach. Now, the Dutch force is better, more experienced.

Croatia are not far behind their opponents. In the last two World Cups, Croatia have been in the top four. They also topped Group 1 of the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League - ahead of current World Cup runners-up France.

Croatia's squad has not changed significantly compared to the 2022 World Cup when the main frame as well as head coach Zlatko Dalic are still present. The team ranked 3rd in the 2022 World Cup still has a few notable absences, but apart from Josko Gvardiol and Marko Livaja who are out due to injury, other faces such as Duje Caleta-Car, Josip Brekalo or Mislav Orsic are not key factors and are not in good form.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands will not have the presence of Memphis Depay, Steven Berghuis Berghuis, Stefan De Vrij or Jeremie Frimpong. However, the replacements are not bad in quality. Overall, the two teams have enough good forces to create a balanced match.