Netherlands vs. Germany: Complete Preview, Team News, Predicted Lineups

 

By most accounts, the Netherlands and Germany were rather underwhelming in their first group games. 

The difference, of course, is that Germany still got the result they needed, whereas the Netherlands didn't. Germany managed to beat Portugal, 1-0, in a rather cagey match, while the Netherlands were shocked, 1-0, by Denmark.

As such, the Netherlands will face off against Germany knowing that anything other than a win will likely see them exit the competition ignominiously, having miserably failed to meet expectations that they might challenge for the Euro 2012 title.

Germany will be under much less pressure knowing that, even if they fail to secure all three points against the Netherlands, they should still be able to comfortably beat the Danish in their final group game.

Here's everything you need to know about the Group of Death's biggest match.

Team News

Both Germany and the Netherlands have no new injuries to report. However, the Netherlands have one of their starters returning to full fitness.

In Holland's defense, Ron Vlaar will return to the bench as Joris Mathijsen has been declared fit and ready for Holland's match with Germany. His return will be welcomed by Holland supporters, players and the manager; the team did not look very secure in the back without him.

Projected Lineups

Germany are unlikely to change anything about their starting lineup. The team looked a bit stifled against Portugal, but Joachim Low will likely put that on Portugal's defending than on any flaw in his players.

As for the Netherlands, expect Bert van Marwijk to ring in the changes. It'd be bold, but I expect Van Marwijk to bench Robin van Persie and start Klaas-Jan Huntelaar after RVP's poor performance against the Danes.

Call it nerves or something else, but RVP has always struggled at major tournaments (World Cup 2010, anyone?), and that trend seems to have continued here despite his terrific club form.

There are two more bold moves which Van Marwijk would be wise to make; whether he actually makes them is a different story.

The first is to bench Arjen Robben for Rafael van der Vaart. Robben looked just as off form for Holland as he did in his last few games with Bayern Munich last season.

Just as he cost Bayern Munich a host of trophies in the final stages of the season, he could cost Holland the tournament with another start.

The second is to start Kevin Strootman ahead of Mark van Bommel or Nigel de Jong. As Johan Cruyff has commented many times, playing both Van Bommel and De Jong together makes the Netherlands a very defensive side.

Of course, they're gifted with some of the world's best attackers, but adding Strootman to the lineup would inject more creativity and fluidity into the side, and having a playmaker from deep would allow Holland's play to flow more smoothly throughout the pitch instead of just the final third of the pitch.

Here's how I anticipate the Netherlands will line up:

Matchups To Watch & Prediction

One of the biggest reasons for Holland's ineffectiveness against Denmark was their inability to get anything productive from their right flank. Robben was consistently fed the ball by him his teammates, only to shank the ball wide or find himself dispossessed.

If Holland hope to beat Germany, they'll need whoever starts on the right flank (Van der Vaart or Robben) to be much more effective. Van Marwijk's decision to start on four attackers means that the team really struggles when one of them is off form.

Especially against a team of Germany's quality, the Netherlands will be punished if all their attackers aren't performing and pressuring the German defense.

As for Germany, it's all about Mario Gomez. Lukas Podolski and Thomas Muller are dangerous, as is Mesut Ozil, and the German bench is packed with world-class attackers (Gotze, Reus, Kroos), but ultimately it'll be about their centre-forward putting the ball into the back of the net.

Keeping Gomez quiet will be no easy task for Holland, though. Even with Joris Mathijsen's return, Netherlands' centre-backs aren't the highest-caliber defenders.

Gomez has punished many better defenders throughout his career, and John Heitinga and Mathijsen will need to be at the top of their game to keep him contained for the entire match.

Prediction: Germany 2, Netherlands 1