After an opening defeat to Denmark the Netherlands’ clash with Germany is now of the must-win variety and the Dutch could be goners by bedtime.
Bert van Marwijk’s side were outright third-favourites across the board to win Euro 2012 before things got underway but their Danish disaster has left them on the brink and now they face their old foes.
The Dutch huffed and puffed against the 1992 winners but failed to blow Morten Olsen’s house down and Denmark were probably just about deserved winners for their resilience if nothing else.
Michael Krohn-Deli’s winner has turned Group B on its head and anything less than three points on Wednesday will leave the Oranje with an unfamiliar mountain to climb.
Van Marwijk must now pit his wits against Joachim Low and the tournament’s joint-jollies but while he will be reassured by his team’s own attacking prowess, the Netherlands’ manager must be concerned by what his fragile defence will come up against.
Like the Netherlands, Germany laboured at times against Portugal on opening night but they were always in control and doubts about their suspect backline were dismissed with yet another clean sheet.
Manuel Neuer was called into action on a few occasions but Mario Gomez’s header gave the Germans a well deserved victory and they would love nothing more than to send Wednesday’s opponents packing with a game to spare.
The rivalry between these two great nations is well documented and it really is a must-see clash with now so much at stake.
No longer a battle for top spot, it is potentially much more terminal than that but the match odds look priced correctly and I’ll be having a small play in the first goal scorer market.
It’s a rare foray for me but the 7.00 about Gomez notching first yet again is just too big to turn down.
Quite obviously the chief threat for the 2.50 favourites, Germany, the Bayern Munich striker looked sharp against Portugal and could have added to his second half striker.
He is definitely his side’s focal point, unlike the Netherlands who lacked one on Saturday, and his odds don’t reflect his true chance of breaking the deadlock.
1pt Mario Gomez First Goal Scorer (vs. Netherlands) @ 7.00 (Ladbrokes, Stan James)