Netherlands Seeks First Win in World Cup Qualifiers
Published October 7, 2016 by Florin P
The Dutch try to put bad memories to rest by defeating Belarus at home (7:45 p.m UK Time).
Belarus caused the first major surprise at the World Cup preliminaries after preventing France from winning the match. They defended with all lines and took advantage of the fact that the European finalists didn’t take the match seriously. The visitors are unlikely to enjoy the same advantages gained the Netherlands, especially after their humiliating exit in the previous preliminaries.
Nothing Short of Victory Is Acceptable
Splitting points against Sweden on the road was not the result that Netherlands fans were hoping for. Despite the obvious quality of their opponent, the fans were upset because the image of the untimely elimination from the last preliminaries is very much alive in their memory. This time, the team is expected to win by a comfortable margin and reclaim the lead in Group A.
Manager Blind is given no option, but a comfortable win and this will reflect in the starting formation. His team will have three strikers and just three defenders, the best proof of his offensive intentions. Belarus isn’t expected to spend too much time outside its own half, so a thin backline should do.
Low-Scoring Games for Belarus
The visitors have a coherent game strategy that has helped them win or draw many of the recent games. Whenever they take on a better team, they shift into a defensive gear and try to wear them out. Belarus has a couple of strikers capable of scoring on the counterattack and this will be their strategy for tonight.
Yanush is the only striker expected to feature in a starting formation that has five defenders and four midfielders. The visitors will try to scrap another point in the qualifiers, but the odds of them succeeding are slim. In order to enjoy better odds, punters should bet on the Netherlands to win at half time and win the match, an outcome valued at 7/10 by bet365 Sports.
