UEFA Nations League: 5 top games to look forward to

#2 The Netherlands versus Germany (Group A1)

Depay will carry the goalscoring burden for Oranje

Old foes will meet again in this timeless classic. After a disappointing couple of years, there are faint stirrings of life for the Oranje. Under manager Ronald Koeman, the team has looked exactly like what it is; a side in transition after a long dry spell.

The former Everton and Valencia manager has turned to youth in his rebuilding efforts with the Ajax pair of Matthijs De Ligt and Frenkie De Jong prominent among the new generation. World’s most expensive defender Virgil Van Dijk is the captain and leader.

One area the team has struggled at is goal-scoring. Similar to their German counterparts, the Dutch no longer have a fantastic striker to put away chances like they used to. Hence, Lyon winger Memphis Depay has played as the attack’s arrowhead in recent games (the UEFA Nations League loss against France for instance).

The Germans are in a full-blown crisis after their limp displays at Russia 2018. Manager Joachim Loew has retained his position but so far, has failed to make the much-needed changes. The German team is still as one dimensional and slow as it was at the World Cup (mirroring Bayern Munich perfectly).

No new faces have been added to the setup (minus the recall of Leroy Sane). Both sides sit behind France in the standings and will be desperate for the three points after a draw (Germany) and loss (Netherlands) in their opening UEFA Nations League games against Les Bleus.