Netherlands vs Spain: Team News

Spain is visiting Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals first leg on Thursday at the De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam. Both countries will first be meeting in this competition.

With nine points, the Dutch were second behind Germany in League A Group 3; the Spanish ranked top of League A Group 4 with sixteen points.

Although Spain is the reigning Nations League winner, Netherlands’s greatest result occurred in the first tournament when it finished runner-up after losing to Portugal in the top showdown. First finishing as runner-up to winners Portugal in 2019 then losing the third-placed playoff to Italy in 2023, the Netherlands have come close to winning the Nations League twice since it was established in 2018.

Koeman is assigned to strengthen up a Dutch defense that maintained just one clean sheet and surrendered seven goals during the group stage – the most goals they have shipped at this level of the Nation League.

The Netherlands will welcome Thursday’s return to home territory where they are undefeated in seven matches across all competitions by an amazing aggregate score of 24-4, scoring at least four goals on five of those occasions. They have only conceded three goals across five meetings with Spain (W3 D1).