Will the Orlovi’s slump continue in Eindhoven?
With zero points, the Serbian national soccer team has gotten off to a terrible start in Nations League Group A2. The Orlovi are at the bottom of the table and, trailing third place by four points, will remain in last place—no matter which Netherlands vs. Serbia prediction comes true. Overall, the Serbs’ losing streak has now extended to five matches, which is why the pressure is currently enormous. Above all, something needs to change defensively, as they’ve conceded at least two goals in each of their last five international matches—and a total of 14 goals overall.
Although the Dutch have won only one of their three group matches, they managed to fight back from a 0–2 deficit to earn a 2–2 draw in Greece on Thursday night, a result that underscored the team’s morale. Consequently, our Netherlands vs. Serbia prediction calls for a home win by the Elftal, who, while looking quite disorganized in the first half, promptly received backing from new head coach Xavi, who took responsibility for the chaos and emphasized that the disarray was his fault.
If the Oranje are now back on solid footing, they should even be able to pull off a shutout victory against a shaky Serbian side. We see a lot of value in betting that the Dutch will win 1-0, 2-0, or 3-0. For those who find it too risky to bet that the struggling Orlovi will fail to score in Eindhoven, there’s an alternative approach: betting on a handicap win for the Oranje.
Netherlands – Serbia Head-to-Head Record
Head-to-Head: 1 – 0 – 0
Last Sunday’s first leg was the first and only official international match to date between the two nations in this format. Thanks to their 2–1 away win in Belgrade, the Elftal currently leads the head-to-head record.
Netherlands – Serbia Prediction
While it’s becoming increasingly clear that League A of the UEFA Nations League is a bit too much for the Serbian national team, the Dutch have also already dropped four points. Against Germany, the Elftal could not manage more than a 1-1 draw despite having a clear advantage in chances and an xG of 3.18, before—after a disastrous first half against Greece that left them trailing 0-2 at halftime—they barely managed to turn the game around and force a 2-2 final score. However, in the first leg, a solid performance by the Netherlands was enough for a 2-1 away win in Serbia. Now the Oranje also have home-field advantage on their side, which is why we expect an even more decisive victory in the second leg.
The Orlovi urgently need to get their defensive problems under control. In their last five international matches—all of which ended in defeat—they’ve consistently conceded at least two goals. In Munich, the Serbs were also shut out in a 0–2 loss—a result that’s now a very realistic possibility in Eindhoven as well.
