The Dutch national team meets up again on Monday as they begin preparations for their final UEFA Nations League group clashes. France visits Rotterdam on Friday before Netherlands head to Germany three days later.
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Confidence around Ronald Koeman’s side is high at the moment after the 3-0 win over Germany last month, but Netherlands head into the final two group games with everything still to play for.
Currently, on three points and sitting second, two victories over the next week will see Netherlands top the group and secure a place in the final four with a place at Euro 2020 up for grabs. However, relegation to Division B is still a possibility if Oranje loses at home to France and at Germany. A draw in either game should see Netherlands stay in Division A and relegate Germany instead.
Progressing in the Nations League would be a big bonus for Netherlands, but the main objective for Koeman is securing a spot in the top pot for the Euro 2022 qualifying draw. The top 10 nations from the four Division A groups will be in the top pot, while two need to settle for pot 2 and a potentially tricky draw.
Currently, Netherlands sit comfortably in the top ten but they can still find themselves in the bottom two if results go against Oranje.
Luckily it looks very bleak for Poland and Iceland at the moment. Iceland has zero points from their opening three games and must travel to Belgium in their final game. Poland, on the other hand, has one point from three matches and end their campaign at Portugal. If those two games go as expected, then regardless of Netherlands results, they will have a crucial top seeding for the Euro 2020 qualifying draw.
The draw for the Euro 2020 qualifiers takes place on the 2nd of December. The top two teams from each of the ten groups qualify directly for the tournament. Netherlands would also make the playoffs should Germany and France qualify directly and Oranje fall outside the top two in their group.
The next seven days could be crucial for Netherlands in their bid to avoid missing three straight major tournaments.
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Finishing first in the group would be amazing, but as long as they avoid relegation i’d be more than content.
That will guarantee a #1 seed for the 2020 ECQ and could impact qualifying for the 2022 World Cup as well, since it would appear you’d have to be in League A in the next edition of the nations league to have any chance of being a #1 seed for 2022 qualifying (if it follows the same pattern as this version of the nations league).
Getting a win or draw against France at De Kuip should be the priority. 1 point there should see them finish 2nd as Germany would have to beat them 4-0 to overturn the H2H tiebreaker.
Under the watchful eyes of legendary Ronald Koeman, the men in Orange look set to scale dizzy heights.