Greece take on the visitors Netherlands in the round 8 match of group stage of UEFA Euro-2024 qualification. The match will be played on Monday, October 16th at OPAP Arena (Athens).
Greece is improving but still doesn't appear worthy of reaching the Euro. The Hellenic Team authored one of the biggest sensations in the history of football, at least in this century. In 2004, under the guidance of Otto Rehhagel, the team managed to win the European Championship in a pragmatic style. Ten years later, under Fernando Santos, they reached the round of 16 at the World Cup, achieving their best result in world tournaments. However, there was a subsequent decline, and they couldn't make it to major tournaments. Progress has occurred under their current coach, Gus Poyet. Last year, the Uruguayan led his new team to the top of their group in the Nations League, winning five out of six matches. However, they were competing in Division C, so the opposition wasn't particularly strong. Now they've managed to defeat not only Gibraltar twice but also Ireland. However, they also lost to both powerhouses, France and the Netherlands, last month. In October, they had a trip to Dublin and secured a convincing 2-0 victory.
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The Oranje endured a prolonged period of decline after their third-place finish in the 2014 World Cup. Remarkably, they only emerged from the slump after the return of Louis van Gaal, who was coaching during the Brazilian World Cup. Van Gaal managed to guide the team to the top of their World Cup qualifying group, and they subsequently won their group in the Nations League. In Qatar, at the World Cup, the Dutch not only confidently advanced from the group stage but also reached the quarterfinals. There, they drew dramatically with Argentina, thanks to a late double by Weghorst, and were only defeated by the eventual champions in a penalty shootout. Following this, the aging coach, as expected, left. He was replaced by Ronald Koeman, who had previously taken the Netherlands to Euro 2020. However, he left for Barcelona before the postponed tournament took place. Koeman's return didn't go as planned; they lost 4-1 to France in the first round of qualification. In June, during the final four of the Nations League, the team lost to both Croatia and Italy at home. Naturally, after these achievements, there were talks of the coach's dismissal. However, he was allowed to continue working in September, and the team defeated both Greece and Ireland. On Friday, they hosted the group leaders, France, and the French won again, albeit by a narrow margin, 2-1, securing their place at the Euro.
Before their September defeat, Greece had a decent record against the Dutch, even if in friendly matches. They had a draw in 2008, and in 2016, they even managed to win. The Dutch will be the favorites, but they face a worthy and motivated opponent. Let's bet that this match will have a total over 2.5 goals.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
