Northern Ireland vs Netherlands Predictions

Northern Ireland are facing the endgame in their bid to make Euro 2020. While they look set for the play-offs in March, they could yet sneak into the top two in this group. They are going into this showdown with the Dutch knowing only a win will do; but at the same time, the hosts have been rocked with Michael O’Neill on his way out. Can the outgoing boss wow the Belfast crowd with a victory?

Of course, a win here could keep O’Neill employed by the IFA until June, as he is rumoured to be staying on with the Ulstermen until their Euro 2020 fate is sealed. The man who brought them to the knockout round of Euro 2016 deserves a chance to earn success at club level, but his departure will surely impact Northern Irish football after eight years in charge.

The Dutch did hand a 6-0 hammering to O’Neill’s NI back in 2012, while they prepare for their first visit to Belfast since 1977. They come here in need of a win to book their place at Euro 2020. They’re in fine form, with four wins from four and 13 goals across those victories. They head here looking to keep that run going, while their three-game winning streak on the road points to success for the visitors.

The only problem for the Dutch is their defensive issues, with the visitors shipping a goal in nine of their last 10 matches away from home. They’ve also seen both teams score in four of their last five matches in this group, which points to a chance for the Northern Irish forwards at Windsor Park on Saturday night. They should fare better here than they did against Germany.

Before the Germany game, NI had scored in their last six matches at home. They are likely to add to that given how poor the Dutch have been at the back of late. We are going with both teams to score in this clash given how open the visitors have been, while the hosts’ 3-2 win in the Czech Republic in their last game suggests this could be an open clash.

On top of backing both teams to score, we are also going for a convincing win for the away side in this clash. The Dutch come here with four straight wins behind them, while they are scoring plenty of goals in this group. They hit three in the reverse meeting between these two, while they bagged four in each of their last two trips. We see another three goals for the Dutch in this one, so we’re going with a 3-1 Netherlands victory as our correct score prediction.