Netherlands will face the USA in Amsterdam on Friday as they prepare for the crucial European Championships qualifier with Latvia next week.

ned spiIn March, Netherlands put in their best performance under Guus Hiddink to beat Spain 2-0 in a friendly, and the coach will be hoping to build even more momentum against the USA as they prepare for the must win tie in Latvia next week. Five points adrift of the top two in the Euro qualifying group, Netherlands can afford no more slip ups, and Hiddink will look to use the tie against the USA to find his best team to get the win in Riga next week.

Arjen Robben, Bas Dost, Leroy Fer and Hakim Ziyech all missed out on the squad through injuries, while Nigel de Jong and Ibrahim Afellay have been dropped. Ron Vlaar and Stefan de Vrij will miss the tie against USA after struggling with fitness, while Jeremain Lens is still dealing with club commitments, and wont join the squad until after Friday’s game.

Wesley Sneijder could play a part after finishing his season with Galatasaray on Wednesday, while Hiddink confirmed during his press conference that Robin van Persie will start and captain the side. It is likely that Van Persie will be joined up front by Klaas jan Huntelaar, while Memphis Depay will make his first Netherlands appearance after his move to Manchester United was agreed.

Debut’s could be handed to Groningen’s Tjaronn Chery, Vitesse’s Davy Propper, and AZ Alkmaar’s Steven Berghuis, but all three are likely to start on the bench.

Possible Netherlands XI: Cillessen, Janmaat, Willems, Martins Indi, Bruma, Clasie, Blind, Depay, Narsingh, Van Persie, Huntelaar

USA are preparing to host the CONCACAF Gold Cup which starts in July, and coach Jurgen Klinsmann will use the ties against Netherlands and Germany to test out some players. Former AZ striker Jozy Altidore is out due to injury, along with regulars Jermaine Jones and Alejandro Bedoya.

Two familiar faces could start up front for the US, with AZ Alkmaar’s Aron Johannsson and former Utrecht loanee Juan Agudelo included in the squad.

Possible USA XI: Guzan, Yedlin, Shea, Brooks, Alvarado, Beckermann, Bradley, Diskerud, Johnson, Zardes, Agudelo

Previous meetings: The two sides have met four times since 1998, with Netherlands winning each time. The last meeting came in 2010 with goals from Dirk Kuyt and Klaas Jan Huntelaar handing Netherlands a 2-1 win.

Prediction: The confidence in Hiddink is high at the moment after the impressive win over Spain in March, but all that could change and calls for his head could rise again if Netherlands fail to win against the USA and more importantly Latvia next week.

Netherlands need to keep the confidence up and put in a good performance against the US which will send them to Riga on a high, and they should prove to be far too strong for Klinsmann’s side. Van Persie has a point to prove after being dropped by Manchester United towards the end of the season, and he will look to form a partnership with Old Trafford bound Memphis Depay, which could result in goals on Friday.

Netherlands 3-1 USA




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