In the final round of UEFA Nations League group matches, the Netherlands and Bosnia-Herzegovina will face off on Tuesday evening in Zenica, with little more than personal pride at stake. Both teams have already secured their fates in League A Group 3, with the Netherlands finishing second and Bosnia-Herzegovina destined for relegation.
The Dutch sealed their place in the knockout rounds with a dominant 4-0 win over Hungary on Saturday. Goals from Wout Weghorst, Cody Gakpo, Denzel Dumfries, and Teun Koopmeiners ensured a comfortable victory for Ronald Koeman’s side, which ended a three-game winless run in the Nations League.
However, the match was marred by a medical emergency involving Hungary's coach, Adam Szalai, who was later reported to be in stable condition after receiving treatment.
As a result of this win, the Netherlands cannot be overtaken by Hungary and will finish second in the group behind Germany. Koeman’s men are looking to build on their solid Nations League performance, having reached the knockout stages for the third time in four editions. They’ll be aiming to improve on their runner-up finish in 2018-19 and last year’s disappointing fourth-place finish on home soil.
Bosnia-Herzegovina, on the other hand, had a nightmare of a weekend, suffering a 7-0 defeat to Germany, their heaviest loss in history. The result confirmed their relegation to League B, continuing a trend of promotion followed by immediate relegation since the Nations League's inception. With just one point from five matches, Bosnia-Herzegovina currently have the worst defensive record in the competition, having conceded 16 goals.
The Dutch will likely be confident heading into this final match, especially after their 5-2 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina earlier in the campaign. The only time the teams met on Bosnian soil in the Nations League, back in 2020, ended in a goalless draw in front of just 1,600 fans.
With nothing left to play for but pride, the Netherlands will look to finish the group stage on a high note, while Bosnia-Herzegovina will hope to avoid another heavy defeat in their final match of a difficult campaign.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
To the relief of club managers, the Netherlands emerged from their 4-0 victory over Hungary without any new fitness issues, so coach Ronald Koeman is expected to make several changes for the final match, given that there’s nothing left to play for. Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong have already been sent back to their clubs.
Liverpool teammates Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, along with injury-prone Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, are likely candidates for a rest. Meanwhile, players like Matthijs de Ligt, Teun Koopmeiners, and Jeremie Frimpong will be hopeful of getting a start.
The goalkeeping situation is also interesting. With Nick Olij, the only uncapped player in the squad, Mark Flekken is expected to step in if Bart Verbruggen is given a break.
For Bosnia-Herzegovina, coach Sergej Barbarez will be able to welcome defender Nikola Katic back from suspension for the final match, though Jusuf Gazibegovic and Nihad Mujakic both missed out on Saturday’s heavy defeat due to injury.
With nothing to play for, Barbarez is unlikely to risk them for Tuesday's game, but changes are still expected. Edin Dzeko, the 38-year-old talisman, was surprisingly left on the bench against Germany and didn’t play a minute, so he should be fresh and ready to partner Ermedin Demirovic up front. Ajax's Benjamin Tahirovic is also likely to retain his place in midfield.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Bosnia-Herzegovina possible starting lineup:
Vasilj; Dedic, Katic, Bicakcic, Barisic, Burnic; Tahirovic, Huseinbasic; Hajradinovic; Dzeko, Demirovic
Netherlands possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Rensch, De Ligt, De Vrij, Hato; Wieffer, Timber; Frimpong, Koopmeiners, Lang; Brobbey
EXPERT PREDICTION
Bosnia & Herzegovina 0-3 Netherlands
Returning to familiar surroundings should give Bosnia-Herzegovina some confidence in defense, but they were repeatedly torn apart by Germany and could have easily lost by an even bigger margin.
Even if Koeman makes the expected changes, the Netherlands are likely to dominate from the start and leave with a convincing victory.
