Group D opens up with Poland vs Netherlands on Sunday 16th June, played at Volksparkstadion, the home of Hamburger SV.
The Euro 2024 match will kick-off at 2pm (BST) and will be available to watch on BBC 1.
Poland vs Netherlands Predictions
Full-Time Result Prediction: The Netherlands may not be considered one of the favourites for Euro 2024 glory at 17/1, but Ronald Koeman has a talented team who will be expected to open up with a win against Poland, with bookmakers offering odds of 8/11 for an Oranje win.
Goals Market Prediction: This is a tough one to call, but I’m opting for under 2.5 goals in Hamburg. The Netherlands have improved their clean sheet record since the autumn, while they are capable of bagging a couple of goals themselves.
Both Teams to Score (BTTS): No. Poland may have sharpshooter Robert Lewandowski, but I’m backing the Dutch trio of Virgil van Dijk, Stefan de Vrij, and Nathan Ake to keep him quiet.
First Goalscorer Prediction: Again, you simply can’t rule out a player like Robert Lewandowski, however, I’m siding with Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo who enjoyed a decent goalscoring end to the season with Liverpool.
Correct Score Prediction: I’m going for a 2-0 win for the Netherlands. Their form may be hit and miss but their recent record shows that they beat the teams they should beat, and lose to the higher-ranked nations.
Key Battle: The matchup between Poland striker Robert Lewandowski and Netherlands centre-back Virgil van Dijk should be gripping and it will be a privilege to watch two elite players go at it.
Tactical Approach: The middle of the park will be a busy battle ground with Ronald Koeman’s three-at-the-back 3-4-2-1 formation coming up against Poland’s 3-5-2 set-up. The Netherlands are likely to win the possession battle and use Wout Weghorst as a target man to cause havoc up top.
Poland Latest Team News
Poland don’t have many household names in their squad but there are some that will be familiar to fans of English football. Jakub Kiwior and Matty Cash could both feature in the squad and currently ply their trade in the Premier League. Jan Bednarek and Jakub Moder will also be names known to those on the south coast, with Southampton and Brighton boasting those players in their squads respectively.
The biggest name is undoubtedly Robert Lewandowski, the Barcelona frontman who has been the Polish talisman since his debut in 2008. With 82 goals in 148 appearances for his nation, Lewandowski has broken numerous records for Poland and he might have to excel himself to see his side advance at Euro 2024.
Poland’s success at Euro 2024 could well come down to how well they provide Lewandowski with service. Their match with Austria will be key but any points they can take off of Netherlands, and France, will help their cause immensely.
Netherlands Latest Team News
Netherlands have one of the stand out squads at Euro 2024 but questions still remain over whether they have the mindset to win a major competition.
With Ronald Koeman at the helm they certainly have a leader that has won all their is in the game. He’ll be hoping to translate that experience to the pitch to bring glory back to Dutch football. There are plenty of leaders on the pitch, with Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake and Frenkie de Jong all having the ability to save games for their side. There are concerns that they lack the firepower at the other end of the pitch however. Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo are good options to have but neither has ever had the lethal consistency of a top level striker.
With France up next for Netherlands, a win in this game could be vital and consecutive defeats would leave them fighting for their lives to qualify for the round of 16.