Kazakhstan v Netherlands background
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Article summary
Kazakhstan can no longer reach the finals of UEFA EURO 2016, but they could deal the Netherlands' hopes a massive blow as the sides reconvene in Group A.
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Article body
Kazakhstan could block the Netherlands' path to UEFA EURO 2016 as the sides meet in their penultimate Group A game in Astana on 10 October.
• Kazakhstan are bottom of Group A and out of the running for the play-off slot behind Iceland and the Czech Republic – with that third place being the only significant position still to be decided.
• If the Netherlands fail to bridge the two-point gap between them and Turkey in third, the Oranje will miss out on a final tournament for the first time since the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Previous meetings
• The Dutch went behind in Amsterdam last October but scored three second-half goals to overcome ten-man Kazakhstan 3-1 in the sides' first Group A meeting. It was the nations' first encounter at either senior or men's age-group level.
Form guide
• Kazakhstan are without a victory in 11 competitive outings (D3 L8) since a 2-1 home success against the Faroe Islands on 6 September 2013.
• Kazakhstan have failed to score in three of their four Group A home matches.
• The Netherlands lost their first two games under new coach Danny Blind – against Iceland and Turkey – without scoring. They have also tasted defeat in three of their four away fixtures in Group A.
• The Oranje's 1-0 reverse to Iceland in Amsterdam on 3 September was their first-ever UEFA European Championship qualifying home loss, ending a 50-match unbeaten home run (W41 D9).
Disciplinary
• Bruno Martins Indi completes a two-game ban against Kazakhstan, when Gregory van der Wiel is also suspended.
• Dmitri Shomko is back after being suspended against Iceland, while Azat Nurgaliyev and Tanat Nuserbayev are within a booking of a ban.
Trivia and links
• The Netherlands have not missed a major tournament since the 2002 World Cup; they have not sat out a UEFA European Championship since 1984.
• Robin van Persie's next goal for the Netherlands will be his 50th. The striker, the Oranje's top scorer, is on 99 caps.
• The Netherlands thrashed Kazakhstan 6-1 at the 2008 UEFA European Under-21 Futsal Championship, while the countries have met twice at women's U17 level, the Dutch winning 2-0 in 2010 and 11-0 in 2013.
• At club level, the only four encounters in UEFA competitions have ended W2 D1 L1 in the Dutch sides' favour – with both victories coming at home.
