Preview for Greece v Netherlands

Greece host the Netherlands on Thursday with both teams having the chance to take a huge step towards progression to the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.

Netherlands got off the mark under new boss Xavi last time out as a Mexx Meerdink double gave them a 2-1 win away over Serbia.

But it is Greece who surprisingly have command of Group B in League A after claiming two wins from two.

Greece beat Serbia by the same 2-1 scoreline in their opening fixture, before following that up with a shock 1-0 away win over Jurgen Klopp’s Germany.

Under Ivan Jovanovic, Greece have developed a penchant for producing upsets, including a win over England at Wembley in their previous Nations League campaign.

As such, Xavi’s side are unlikely to underestimate their hosts in Thessaloniki, where the former Barcelona boss is seeking improvements on the performance in the Serbia game.

“It is always most important to get ⁠the three points, I’m happy that we managed to do that. But ​we do need to play better, because, especially in the first half, we ​did not press well,” Xavi said after that win.

‘Nevertheless, I’m very satisfied after a week of work.

“There were many moments when we needed to attack the spaces, ​but we didn’t do it. That is something we ​need to ⁠improve. But also things such as making the pitch wider and moving the ball around more quickly.

“But the most important thing is that we are ⁠creating ​a lot of chances. The players feel comfortable ​on the pitch with the structure we are playing in, so a lot of things are ​also going well.”

Against a Greece side that has conceded more than once in just one of their last seven games, the Oranje will likely need to make those attacking strides if they are to move to the top of the group.

The UEFA Nations League Table

League A – Group B

# Team Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Pts Last 2

1	Greece	2	2	0	0	3	1	2	6	W W
2	Netherlands	2	1	1	0	3	2	1	4	W D
3	Germany	2	0	1	1	1	2	-1	1	L D
4	Serbia	2	0	0	2	2	4	-2	0	L L

• Position 1, 2 : Play Offs: Quarter-finals
• Position 3 : Relegation Playoffs
• Position 4 : Relegation

Team News for Greece v Netherlands

After successive victories, Greece are unlikely to make many changes to a settled starting XI.

Netherlands are without Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey due to injuries suffered against Serbia and Germany respectively.

Expected line-ups for Greece v Netherlands

Greece: Tzolakis; Vagiannidis, Mavropanos, Retsos, Tsimikas; Karetsas, Kourbelis, Zafeiris, Tzolis; Kostoulas, Pavlidis

Netherlands: Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven; Gravenberch, Veerman, Reijnders; Summerville, Meerdink, Van Bommel

Recent Form & Stats for Greece v Netherlands

• Greece have lost just one of their last five games. They are unbeaten in their last four competitive fixtures.
• Netherlands and Greece have faced each other five times, with the Oranje winning four of those games. There has never been a draw.
• Greece’s sole win came in a friendly in 2016 when they prevailed 2-1. That marked the only time they have scored a goal in this fixture.
• Netherlands have lost just one of their last 22 games in 90 minutes since a 1-0 defeat to Germany in the Nations League in October 2024. Their only loss in that run came in a friendly against Algeria in June. They lost a penalty shootout to Spain in the Nations League quarter-finals last March and succumbed to Morocco on penalties at the World Cup.
• Virgil van Dijk will become the 11th Netherlands player to reach 100 caps if he features against Greece and in Sunday’s return fixture with Serbia.

Where to Watch Greece v Netherlands: TV and online streams

Greece v Netherlands kicks off at 7:45pm UK time. It will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video for a pay-per-view price of £2.49.

Prediction for Greece v Netherlands

Greece’s 100 percent start will be difficult to maintain against the Oranje. However, with home advantage against an opponent that does have defensive vulnerabilities, the hosts have reason to believe they can get something from the game.

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