Netherlands vs Croatia Nations League semi-final preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, possible line-ups

Netherlands and Croatia meet in the first UEFA Nations League semi-final on Wednesday 14 June.

Where to watch Netherlands vs Croatia on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Nations League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

The Netherlands' bid for a first senior title since EURO '88 continues against a Croatia side who have finished second and third at the last two FIFA World Cups. The Oranje came through a group including Belgium, Poland and Wales unbeaten, though the man who guided the finals hosts through the league phase, Louis van Gaal, stood down as coach after a quarter-final defeat by Argentina in Qatar.

For Croatia, this is seen by some as the last shot at silverware for their golden generation, led by the peerless Luka Modrić. It looked a long way away when they lost their group opener 3-0 at home to Austria a year ago (Modrić was absent) but they bounced back by beating Denmark twice, winning in France and then claiming three points in Vienna to snatch top spot and their first Nations League finals appearance.

Possible line-ups

Netherlands: Bijlow; Dumfries, Van Dijk, Botman, Aké; De Roon, De Jong, Simons; Bergwijn, Gakpo, Malen

Croatia: Livaković; Juranović, Vida, Šutalo, Perišić; Modrić, Brozović, Kovačić, Pašalić, Kramarić, Ivanušec

Reporters' views

Derek Brookman, Netherlands reporter
Ronald Koeman's quest to go one better than his previous Nations League campaign (Oranje were runners-up in 2019) hasn't been made any easier by the injury and withdrawal of the talismanic Memphis Depay. But other strikers like Cody Gakpo and Donyell Malen have had strong seasons, Frenkie de Jong has excelled for Barcelona and the defence is bristling with top-class individuals, though Matthijs de Ligt has been ruled out of the finals with a calf problem. With the backing of a packed crowd in the Netherlands' most raucous stadium, the Dutch must surely fancy their chances of reaching the final.

Elvir Islamović, Croatia reporter
Croatia have had a sensational run over the last five years, collecting medals in the last two World Cups and reaching the last 16 at UEFA EURO 2020. Zlatko Dalić now has the chance to finally bring home the nation's first-ever trophy. Also wanting to seize the opportunity will be Luka Modrić, aiming to cap his incredible career with international silverware. Dalić likes to tinker with his first XI and we'll no doubt see some tactical changes, especially after Joško Gvardiol was ruled out, but for the most part his vision is clear. He has a team capable of glory, and make no mistake, they will give everything they've got to claim this title.

View from the camps

Ronald Koeman, Netherlands coach: "We are looking forward to the match because it's a semi-final, and we play in Holland. We have a good team, and we have a lot of energy to reach the final. But Croatia are a really strong team; they've had great success in the last couple of years, so it will be tough."

Virgil van Dijk, Netherlands captain: "We will have to be at our best to beat them. They have different ways to hurt you. They have a midfield that plays the highest level of football. But we also have to be confident in our own ability and believe that we can get to the final. It's going to take a lot of hard work. It's going to take high-quality football, but also a bit of luck."

Zlatko Dalić, Croatia coach: "This is a great achievement, to be among the four best teams in Europe. What we have done [by qualifying] is already a big success but we came here to win a medal. We worked hard for this and we want to show that here."

Luka Modrić, Croatia captain: "The match against Netherlands will be very difficult for us. We are playing against a young, talented team who are coming back to the big stage and playing at home. Fortunately, there will be a lot of our fans and that will be an extra motivation."

Form guide (most recent first)

Netherlands: WLLWWD

Croatia: WDWLWW