Netherlands vs Greece – Match preview and team news -

Netherlands and Greece, both sitting with eight points from four matches and in the top two of the UEFA Nations League A group 2, will face each other on Friday in their matchday five fixture of the competition.

Netherlands vs Greece – Match preview and team news

Date: Friday, 13th November.
Venue: Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam.

Netherlands team news

Head coach Xavi Hernández faces several notable defensive absences ahead of this crucial UEFA Nations League clash against Greece, though he welcomes back key talent in midfield and attack.

Captain Virgil van Dijk and striker Brian Brobbey both withdrew from the squad earlier this week due to fitness issues. With no replacements called up, Xavi is working with a 23-man roster.

The hosts are also missing injured defenders Nathan Aké, Jeremie Frimpong, and Jorrel Hato, alongside Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.

On a positive note, midfielder Frenkie de Jong returns to the national setup for the first time since the World Cup after recovering from a knee injury, and he will wear the captain’s armband in Van Dijk’s absence.

Additionally, in-form Roma forward Donyell Malen and Justin Kluivert have both recovered from their respective injuries and are back in contention to feature in Amsterdam.

Greece team news

Greece manager Ivan Jovanović must navigate both disciplinary bans and injury setbacks as his side looks to protect their unbeaten record at the top of League A, Group 2.

Midfielder Christos Zafeiris and right-back Manolis Saliakas are both unavailable for selection as they serve one-match suspensions for yellow card accumulation.

On the injury front, Greece will travel to Amsterdam without Giannis Michailidis, Dimitrios Pelkas, and Giannis Konstantelias. Despite these absences, Jovanović boasts strong depth in the final third.

Striker Tasos Douvikas enters the international break in terrific club form after scoring a recent Champions League hat-trick for Como, providing serious competition for Vangelis Pavlidis and Fotis Ioannidis for the starting role up front.

Behind the striker, captain Anastasios Bakasetas is expected to anchor the attacking midfield alongside bright young talent Konstantinos Karetsas and Christos Tzolis.

Form

Netherlands

The Netherlands sit top of League A, Group 2 with eight points, boasting an unbeaten Nations League run of two wins and two draws under Xavi Hernández. Their campaign opened with a 1-1 home draw against Germany and a 2-1 away victory over Serbia in September. In October, the Dutch staged a second-half comeback to draw 2-2 in Greece before securing a 2-1 home win against Serbia, scoring in every group fixture.

Greece

Greece enter Matchday 5 level on eight points with the Netherlands, remaining undefeated in Group 2 with two wins and two draws under Ivan Jovanović. They launched their campaign in September with impressive away victories, beating Serbia 2-1 and earning a historic 1-0 triumph in Germany. In October, Greece squandered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 home draw against the Netherlands before holding Germany to a resilient 0-0 stalemate.