Netherlands vs Sweden Betting Tips and Stats

I think the Netherlands’ clash with Sweden has all the makings of an entertaining encounter, which is why I’m backing over 2.5 goals.

Group F was one of the most enjoyable to follow in the opening round of action, with the Netherlands playing out a 2-2 draw with Japan, while Sweden thumped Tunisia 5-1.

It was a similar story during World Cup qualifying as far as the Netherlands were concerned, with 5 of their 8 matches going over 2.5 goals, as well as 2 of their 4 subsequent friendly fixtures.

As for Sweden, each of their 2 World Cup play-off ties broke the over 3.5 goal barrier, a trend that also continued in the friendlies that followed against Norway and Greece.

Both teams will know that victory here would put them in a strong position not only to qualify, but also to top the group, which should help set the stage for an action-packed encounter in Houston.

Viktor Gyokeres looks excellent value to score or assist against the Netherlands on Saturday evening. The Swedish sharpshooter produced an impressive display against Tunisia, scoring 1 and setting up another. Gyokeres was also instrumental in firing his side to qualification, netting a hat-trick in the play-off semi-final against Ukraine before scoring again in the final against Poland. He has since grabbed another goal in a friendly against Greece.

Gyokeres’ overall record for Sweden now stands at a highly impressive 21 goals and 8 assists across 34 appearances. He has also just come off the back of a solid campaign for Arsenal, scoring 21 goals in 55 appearances while also contributing 3 assists.

The Swedish attacker therefore looks well positioned to deliver a goal involvement against a Dutch defence that conceded twice to Japan and has now gone 5 matches without keeping a clean sheet.

Virgil van Dijk looks well worthy of support to be fouled at least once during this contest. The Dutch defender has long been a relatively reliable source in this market for a centre-half, as demonstrated during the qualification campaign when he drew an average of 0.63 fouls per game, notably being fouled twice in the same match away at Poland. He also won his fair share of free kicks for Liverpool in the Premier League last season, drawing an average of 0.47 fouls per game and being brought down 3 times across his final three appearances of the campaign.

Where this selection becomes particularly appealing is that Van Dijk is likely to be drawn into a physical battle with Viktor Gyokeres.

The Swedish striker committed an average of 1.34 fouls across the Blue and Yellows’ qualification campaign, while his ratio in the Premier League last season was a near-identical 1.41 per 90.

While not as prolific in drawing fouls as Gyokeres, Sweden could line up with two up front again here, meaning Van Dijk may also need to keep an eye on Alexander Isak, which only strengthens the case for this selection.