The first matches in major tournaments are always harder to analyze. The head coaches of the teams only form the starting lineups and plans for the game, the friendly matches before the World Cup do not give a complete picture, but help to understand the approximate intentions of the teams for the 2022 World Cup. The teams of the Netherlands and Senegal are the main favorites to reach the playoffs of the Fifa World Cup. The lot brought them together already in the first round, but in this pair of favorites is Van Gaal’s team.
Head-to-head and past matches
These teams have never met at the World Championships and other tournaments. Before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the teams played matches of the League of Nations and the African Nations Championship. Team of the Netherlands after the defeat in the ⅛ final of the Euro from the Czechs did not lose to anyone else! 16 meetings without defeat, in the League of Nations, Van Gaal’s team confidently dealt with all the participants of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar: with Belgium (1:0), Poland (2:0) and Wales (3:2).
Senegal has worse results before the World Cup: in September, 2 draws and one victory over Bolivia (2:1) in the first team.
Team Leaders
The Dutch national team is full of stars, the squad has been formed for a long time and successfully performs after the failure at the Euro. Van Dijk from Liverpool is the soloist in defense, de Jong from Barcelona is in the center of the field, his teammate Depay is in attack. The last two get little match practice from Xavi, but they always show great football in the national team. Of the minuses of the Netherlands, it is worth highlighting only the goalkeeper position: Cillessen is very unstable, the matches at the 2022 World Cup will be tense, it is not known whether the first number will cope with responsibility.
The Senegalese national team includes Bayern representative Mane, Chelsea goalkeeper Mendy and his club partner Koulibaly. In general, Senegal is very strong in terms of names and positions and concedes little, which is typical for African teams.
Prediction for the match Netherlands - Senegal
The forecast for the World Cup for the Netherlands is more positive. In the match with Senegal there will be a closed fight, van Gaal’s men will take possession of the ball, the Africans will rely on fast flanks and counterattacks. The forecast for the match is as follows: The Netherlands will win with a minimum score difference - 1:0 or 2:1. Many goals in the match are not to be expected, there is too much at stake and there is too little information from the coaches on style and lineups. The higher level of teamwork of van Gaal’s team will play its role, the Netherlands will achieve a minimal victory.
Betting Options:
- Win2 and Under (3.5) for 2.4;
- net P2 for 1.7.
Alternative bet: goal in first 30 minutes - no for 1.8. The first matches of the World Cup usually start cautiously. Senegal national football team will definitely not climb forward in the first minutes, and the Netherlands needs time to shake up the dense defense of the Africans.
Senegal-Netherlands match odds
| Senegal victory | Draw | Dutch victory |
|---|---|---|
| 5.6 | 3.9 | 1.7 |
