Netherlands finish their preparations for the World Cup with a tie against Wales in the Amsterdam Arena.

  • By Michael Bell
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net v ghanNetherlands have been unimpressive so far in their two previous friendlies, a 1-1 draw against Ecuador, and a dull 1-0 win over Ghana last Saturday. However they will look to put on a performance against Wales before they head to Brazil for the final training sessions before the tournament gets underway against Spain on June 13th.

Louis van Gaal wants to play a 5-3-2 formation against Spain, but he feels against weaker sides his formation can turn into a 4-4-2, which he will test against Wales.

It is likely that Bruno Martins Indi will switch to the left back position, with Daley Blind moving into the middle in what will be a 4-4-2 diamond formation. With Jonathan de Guzman suffering with a hamstring injury, Leroy Fer is set to come into the side.

Van Gaal wasn’t happy with some of the link up play between Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, and Wesley Sneijder during the win over Ghana, and it will be interesting to see how the three stars perform against Wales.

Likely formation: Cillessen, Janmaat, Martins Indi, De Vrij, Vlaar; De Jong, Blind, Fer, Sneijder, Robben, Van Persie

Wales go into the game without two of their best players in Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale, and Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, while Swansea defender Ashley Williams is also missing.

A number of youngsters have been drafted into the Wales squad which will be captained by Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen.  Despite this, Wales will be no pushovers, and are unbeaten in their last four matches, which included a 1-1 draw with Belgium.

Potential Wales line up: Hennessey; Richards, Chester, Dummett, Taylor; Allen, Ledley; Robson-Kanu, Williams, Lawrence; Church

Netherlands last played Wales back in a friendly in 2008, with the Dutch coming out on top 2-0 thanks to goals from Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder.

The same result would be welcomed by Louis van Gaal as the Dutch look to head to Brazil on the back of a good result, but the coach will also be wary of players being injured. This will mean the tempo of the game is likely to be slow, like against Ghana.

Prediction: Netherlands 2-0 Wales




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