The Three Lions or Oranje? After Spain punched their ticket to the final of the European Championship, the penultimate dilemma in Germany remained to be resolved. Criticized England, who broke the penalty curse in the quarter-final clash with Switzerland, face the Netherlands in Dortmund, who reached the final via Turkey. The last time England and the Netherlands teams met was in 2019, when Oranje won the semifinals of the Nations League with 3-1.The personality of Gareth Southgate, England coach, is one of the most discussed at the continental championship. The English expert is primarily responsible for the team playing pragmatic football. In spite of all the justified criticisms that have spread in all five tournament games so far, it should not be ignored that the former defender once again led his country to the semi-finals of the Euro. In all four participations at the World or European Championships under the leadership of Southgate, the English team has reached at least the quarter-finals.On paper, the Three Lions lineup is the favourite. However, compared to the Dutch, who reached the semi-finals after 90-minute wins against Romania and Turkey, England have two extra-time games under their belt. Ahead of the meeting at Signal Iduna Park, the fatigue factor cannot be ruled out.Don’t underestimate the character of a child – this one learned his calling in the warmest of cribsIn terms of football, the two selections are at a similar level. England have more individual quality to offer, but the Netherlands have been more convincing in the tournament. This makes the starting position for the finals of the European Championship exciting, and even more the fact that England struggled against Denmark in the group stage – a selection that came to the Euro with 12 players from English leagues – and only drew 1-1. The Netherlands has nine footballers on the roster who earn their living in the cradle of football, but a total of 15 of them have played on the Island at some point.England’s fairy tale at the Euros has another chapter. In order to avoid misunderstandings, it must be said that the term “fairy tale” in no way refers to the fact that the English have had good performances in the tournament so far. Nevertheless, the almost harmless selection of the Three Lions again reached at least the semi-finals of the continental championship.With the most tackles… 💪#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/HMKJaYjqVi— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 8, 2024 Both against Slovakia in the round of 16 and against the Swiss in the quarter-finals, Southgate’s team trailed 1-0, but in both cases bounced back in time. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane ensured progress with goals in the first knockout game. Against the Swiss, it was a great individual effort by Bukayo Saka and an impressive penalty shootout that secured a ticket to the semis.In both knockout games, the English footballers were on the field for 120 minutes, which is a whole hour longer than the upcoming rival. With Phil Foden, Declan Rice & Co. already looking a bit sluggish in the tournament after a long and intense Premier League season, the fatigue that sets in could definitely become an issue. Especially when combined with a vague idea of what the team should strive for in terms of style.England are slight favourites, although they have undoubtedly failed to convince fans of their quality so far. Even at first glance, it can be seen that the Islanders have an aversion to failure, and apparently, with the iron will of individuals, they try to reach the hunting grounds.”We have to take another step from our last match. Because even the Netherlands will again be a level higher than the previous rivals,” said Southgate.##EDITORS_CHOICE##It will be interesting to see if the England coach will again deviate from the tactics with four at the back, and play according to the 3-4-2-1 system. Although there was a slight improvement in performance against the Swiss, especially in the first half, this change is unlikely to be the final solution. Ezri Konsa is likely to have to return to the bench as Marc Guehi returns to the team after suspension.On the other hand, the Dutch football team is following in the footsteps of their compatriots from 1988. Led by Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, Oranje won the first and only European championship title 36 years ago.The parallels with today’s lineup are obvious, as the competition is again held in Germany and Ronald Koeman is again in an important role. Then as one of the best defenders in the world, and now as a coach.”It will be a great Wednesday night between two great nations. A historic night,” Dutch strategist Koeman rejoiced.Not everything went well during the tournament for the Netherlands. In some moments, especially against Austria in the group stage, they looked shakey, but the Dutch again showed that when they need to go into action, like in the duel against the Turks, then they are almost unstoppable. Oranje’s performance was not under scrutiny. While the Three Lions barely managed to beat Slovakia in the play-offs and then eliminated the Swiss on penalties, the Oranje cruised past Romania with relative ease, before beating Turkey thanks to a better second-half performance.1996 – Tonight will be the first meeting between England and the Netherlands at a major tournament since the Three Lions won 4-1 at EURO 96 at Wembley, a match that Gareth Southgate featured in. Memories. pic.twitter.com/5syKtiztga— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 10, 2024 The Netherlands have one of the best attacks in the tournament with nine goals scored, but Virgil van Dijk & Co. proved against the Turks or in the preliminary round against Poland that they can handle resistance and slumps during the game. Against the emotional Turks, for example, six minutes were enough for the Orange army to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.Koeman’s men should not be lacking in confidence, having won nine of their last 12 international matches. Despite conceding five goals in five tournament matches at the European Championship 2024, hopes of success rest on the performance of the attacking portion of the team, especially Cody Gakpo. The Liverpool striker is currently joint top scorer with three goals and aims to be the most effective at the Euros.Are the English one step closer to bringing it home or will the Dutch have the last word?EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – 1/2 FINALSSemifinalsTuesdaySpain – France 2-1 (2-1)/Yamal 21, Olmo 25 – Kolo Muani 8/Wednesday22.00: (3.15) Netherlands (3.10) England (2.60)***odds are subject to change***
