Netherlands vs England, international friendly - as it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.With less than three months to go until the World Cup kicks off in Russia, Gareth Southgate has two games to add the finishing touches to his England team.
The first of those matches sees the Three Lions take on Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands in a clash that pits two transitory teams against one another.
Southgate has already confirmed that Jordan Pickford will be starting in goal while Jordan Henderson has been named captain for the fixture. Jack Wilshere is unavailable after being left behind in England with a knee injury he sustained in training.
Where can I watch it?
The game will be broadcast on ITV 1. Coverage starts at 19:30.
It’s a big game for:
Virgil van Dijk. The 26-year-old has been named captain for the Netherlands, taking over duty from Arjen Robben who retired late last year. Against England, Van Dijk now has the chance to lead by example and prove why Liverpool made him the most expensive defender in history last January. Given he knows his opposition well, there’s even more expectancy for the Dutchman to run a tight ship tonight.
Head-to-head:
England 1 Netherlands 2, international friendly, March 2016
England 2 Netherlands 3, international friendly, February 2012
Netherlands 2 England 2, international friendly, August 2009
Form:
Netherlands: WWWWWL
England: DDWWWW
Confirmed squads
Netherlands squad: Marco Bizot, Jasper Cillessen, Jeroen Zoet, Patrick van Aanholt, Nathan Ake, Virgil van Dijk, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Hans Hateboer, Matthijs de Ligt, Kenny Tete, Stefan de Vrij, Donny van de Beek, Davy Proepper, Marten de Roon , Kevin Strootman, Guus Til, Tonny Vilhena, Georginio Wijnaldum, Ryan Babel, Steven Berghuis, Memphis Depay, Bas Dost, Justin Kluivert, Quincy Promes, Wout Weghorst.
England squad: Joe Hart, Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland, Nick Pope, Kyle Walker, Kieran Tripper, Ryan Bertrand, Danny Rose, John Stones, James Tarkowski, Alfie Mawson, Joe Gomez, Harry Maguire, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Jake Livermore, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard, Lewis Cook, Danny Welbeck, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford.
Odds:
Netherlands to win: 6/4
Draw: 11/5
England to win: 9/5
34: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin switches the ball to Kieran Trippier who delivers a first time ball. The low cross flies across the face of goal and Zoet collects because there are no England players willing to take a gamble and attack the front post.
37: Jesse Lingard looks to release Raheem Sterling in behind the defence. The pass looks good but Sterling is just beaten to the ball by the rushing goalkeeper and Zoet clears with a robust slide tackle.
39: Raheem Sterling has been England's brightest spark in the first 40 minutes
40: A Netherlands corner is curled out-swinging into box and Jordan Pickford is caught in two minds whether to come or not. He leaves his line and scampers back as Dost wins another corner with a header that's deflected wide.
44: Marcus Rashford collects the ball on the halfway line, beats a man and runs into space only to find it's him versus about six or seven Dutch defenders. He looks up but nobody in white has bothered to join him in attack and the ball is lost.
When breaking forward England need more players to bust a gut and get into dangerous areas. Lot's of spectators in that last break.
45: Three, yes three, minutes of added time. That must be a record for a first half friendly match.
Half Time Stats
Netherlands 0-0 England
Possession: 46% - 54%
Shots: 3 - 4
Shots on target: 2 - 1
Corners 1 - 3
On ITV Sport, Ian Wright says England need to find players' runs more often. "The final ball, we're not producing it. But we're very confident. We've got willing runners and we've got to use them more."
"Boring"
So how did that first half go as a spectacle? Well McD says 'boring' in the comments and that's not too far from the truth. England have shown glimpses of exciting play, but nothing more which is what's most frustrating. Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford are making some really good runs but nobody behind them has the capacity to find them.
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