Second UEFA Euro 2024 The semi-finals begin on Wednesday England and Holland meet in Dortmund The aim is to determine who will face Spain in the final on Sunday. The Netherlands are the obvious underdogs in this tournament, but the Three Lions are a disappointment but are steadily progressing towards the final. The Dutch approach is very similar to France's, and they will be hoping to avoid the same fate as France, who lost in the semi-finals. The Netherlands beat a valiant Turkey, while England beat Switzerland in their quarter-final matches.
Gareth Southgate's side are still looking for a truly convincing win and will be hoping to achieve just that in the semi-finals. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane were great in their win over Slovakia in the round of 16, but the hero against Switzerland was Bukayo Saka, who scored a brilliant late goal to equalise. Still, they needed a penalty shootout to beat Nati and book a place in the last four, where they will face Ronald Koeman's Netherlands.
The Netherlands have yet to face a true continental powerhouse, having beaten Romania in the round of 16 and Turkey in the quarter-finals. Cody Gakpo has been outstanding in attack and is tied with Donyell Malen, Bellingham and Kane for the top spot in the goalscoring charts, three goals behind them. He has had ups and downs in Germany so far, but three goals are expected from him in this match.
Here's the storyline, how to watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- date: Wednesday, July 10 | time: 3pm ET
- position: BVB Stadion – Dortmund, Germany
- clock: Fox or Fubo (free to try)
- Odds: Netherlands +200; Draw +190; England +170
How did they get here?
The Netherlands surprisingly finished third in Group D, ahead of Poland, behind leaders Austria and second-placed France. This puts them in an unexpected underdog position here after a strong run through Romania and Turkey to the quarter-finals. England topped Group C, winning only one of three games over Denmark, Slovenia and Serbia, before struggling against Slovakia and Switzerland and now facing the Netherlands. This will be perhaps the biggest test yet for the Netherlands.
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Team news
Netherlands: Xavi Simons and Cody Gakpo have both performed well so far, with the Paris Saint-Germain forward providing three assists and the Liverpool star scoring two of his three goals. Nathan Ake and Denzel Dumfries should continue to feature on either side of the defence, while Micky van den Ben is in contention for a spot after his vital late intervention against the Turk.
Netherlands alternate XI: Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Simmons, Lijnders; Bergwijn, Depay, Gakpo.
England: Marc Guehi could return from suspension along with John Stones, but Ezri Konsa would be unlucky if that happens, and Kobe Mainu looks set to find his place in midfield alongside Declan Rice, alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Gallagher. Luke Shaw could be an alternative to Kieran Trippier Having come on as a substitute in the match against Switzerland, Caemou will likely be used again.
England Shortlist XI: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier, Mainu, Rice, Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Kane.
prediction
England are not at their best but the Netherlands have not faced a strong opponent since losing to Austria and failed to score against France, so England should be strong enough to gain momentum after 120 minutes. choose: Netherlands 1, England 2 (England wins in extra time).
