Netherlands vs Türkiye: Dutch hopes meet Turkish dreams

Berlin’s Olympic Stadium will be the setting for a spectacular 2024 European Championship quarter-final match between the Netherlands and Turkey on Saturday.

Despite securing a place in the round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams, Ronald Koeman’s side are among the favourites to lift the trophy on July 14.

The Netherlands showed a glimpse of their vast potential in a one-sided last-16 clash with Romania, crushing them 3-0 in Munich to book a date for the Euro quarter-finals for the first time since 2008.

Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo opened the scoring before Donyell Malen scored twice off the bench beyond the 80th minute to seal a dominant win at the Allianz Arena.

Malen has fond memories of his last appearance against Turkey, where he scored a 90th-minute goal to cap off a stunning 6-1 victory in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Ready to do anything to settle their score, the Turks will enter the field in top form after eliminating Austria in the round of 16, thanks to Merih Demiral’s winning double.

Vincenzo Montella’s side won 2-1 in arguably the most thrilling match of the last 16 in Leipzig, en route to their first Euro quarter-final since their memorable run to the semi-finals in 2008.

However, the Crescent-Stars must punch above their weight again to replicate that feat, something they struggled to do in the group stage when Portugal humiliated them 3-0 in their second game.

Given that this is the only blemish on Turkey’s otherwise flawless Euro 2024 campaign (3 wins), the nominal visitors deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Koeman has done a remarkable job since replacing Louis van Gaal as Netherlands coach following the country’s disappointing quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup.

His men are firing on all cylinders in 2024, scoring at least three goals in four of their eight international games so far this year and netting exactly two in half of the remaining four matches.

More importantly, the Netherlands’ remarkable exploits have not come at the expense of their cautious defensive approach.

The latest shutout against Romania marked the Oranje’s eighth clean sheet in their last 11 outings, although it is a feat they have failed to achieve in four consecutive meetings against Turkey dating back to 2015.

In fact, before the aforementioned demolition in the previous World Cup qualifying campaign, the Netherlands had lost two consecutive clashes against the Turks.

They have conceded over 3 goals, suggesting Virgil van Dijk and Stefan de Vrij will need to be at their best to hold off Montella’s resilient side on Saturday.

Montella was nicknamed “Aeroplanino” during his playing career, in reference to his trademark celebration, but he was missing in Italy’s Euro 2000 final defeat to France.

Having reached the tournament final as a player, the 50-year-old Italian will be hoping to repeat the feat as manager of an exceptionally talented Turkish team.

He celebrated his 50th birthday in the Crescent Stars’ opening match against Georgia, which saw Real Madrid wonderkid Arda Guler score a stunning goal to inspire Turkey to a 3-1 victory.

Guler was not at his best against Austria, but Hakan Calhanoglu’s return from suspension should ease the pressure on the youngster in the most important game of his career.

If there is a team capable of surpassing the Netherlands, it is the Turks.

With only Germany and Spain scoring better than Turkey (7 goals), Guler and his teammates will enter the Olympiastadion pitch full of confidence.

Netherlands (4-2-3-1): Jean-Pierre Verbruggen; Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij, Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake; Jerdy Schouten, Tijjani Reijnders; Danielle Leblanc, David O’Brien, David O’Brien; Memphis Depay.

Türkiye (4-2-3-1): Jean-Pierre Bélanger; Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King; Kaan Ayhan, Okay Yokuslu; Kenan Yildiz, Hakan Calhanoglu, Baris Alper Yilmaz; Arda Güler.

Given the attacking approach of both teams, this could be a rare high-scoring match in this summer’s knockout phase.

While it is impossible to rule out Turkey before the start, the Netherlands appear to be gaining momentum as the tournament reaches its climax.