Kick-off time: 20:00 (GMT) 6th July | Olympiastadion Berlin | H2H record: 14 – 6W, 4D, 4L
Netherlands
- Nickname: ‘the Oranje’
- Highest Position: Champions Euro 1988
- Qualifiers: W D L | Round of 16: vs Romania 3-0
Turkey
- Nickname: ‘Ay-Yıldızlılar’
- Highest Position: SF Euro 2008
- Qualifiers: W L W | Round of 16: vs Austria 2-1
Netherlands Football Team
It’s been 20 years since they got past the Quarter Finals and having not even qualified in 2016, Netherlands will be doing their best to justify their 7th place in the FIFA Men’s World standings list. A strong qualifying run that saw just a single defeat to Germany, their Group stages were lacklustre to say the least, with an early win against Poland undone by a follow-up draw to France and then a loss to Austria, subsequently requiring third-place good fortune to make it through to the Round of 16. However, their recent 3-0 win against Romania could have been much higher and perhaps a return to form could work in their favour ahead of their Quarter Final place against Turkey.
Manager Ronald Koeman has taken charge for a second time in his career, and with Cody Gakpo tied for the Euros Golden boot and Memphis Depay, now a free agent, eager to land a few more goals to help him overtake Robin van Persie as the country’s all-time top scorer, the late kick-off this Saturday could well turn into a who can score the most on the night.
Turkey Football Team
Their 6th qualification to the Euros but still chasing their 2008 Semi-Final place having been knocked out early on in recent years or not qualify, Turkey will be buoyed by the fact that their nightmarish form that saw 3 losses and 1 draw earlier this year, seems to have turned a page in their Euro journey so far. A solid 3-1 win over Georgia and 2-1 win over Czechia, did enough to overcome their defeat against Portugal, seeing them finish Group F in 2nd place behind Portugal, but on goal difference alone. However, their best match was in the Round of 16 against Austria, a team that beat Netherlands in the Group stages, where a 2-1 win for the sportsbook underdogs wowed audiences around the world.
Manager Vincenzo Montella may be new to the role, has been charged with handling the youngest Euro team, but will be glad to see Akaydin returning from suspension to shore up his defensive line and captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu as new suspensions for both midfielders Yüksek and Kökçü will undoubtedly require a shift in their line-up. Whatever happens on the night, Turkey have shown that they are team not to be taken lightly and Netherlands will have to dig deep against them if they wish to progress.
H2H Records: 14 – 6W, 4D, 4L
A fairly even set of stats for these two teams, who have played each other 14 times in the past, with 6 Wins for Netherlands, 4 Draws and 4 Wins for Turkey. In fact, looking at just four matches since March 2015, the Dutch have managed just a single win against them, with Turkey taking two wins and one game finishing as a draw. While neither side will want to exit at the Quarter Final stages after several disappointing finishes in previous competitions, when it comes to the late kick-off on Saturday night, there can only be one winner and the head-to-head stats leave it fairly ominous as to who that might be.
Quarter-Final Betting
With both sides having performed well in their previous match, let’s take a look at what the Euro 2024 betting odds are saying about who is likely to come out on top this weekend, according to BetVictor at the time of writing. It seems that Netherlands are ahead in the markets for now, with odds of 11/20 meaning a £10 wager would pay out £15.50 if correct, while Turkey sit much further out at 9/2, where the same £10 bet would return £55 if they are leading at the end of the 90 minutes of normal time. For those who think the two times might have to go to extra time or beyond, 3/1 odds on a draw mean £10 staked would pay £40, although with both teams having scored a few times in recent matches, perhaps this is a little less likely. In terms of our prediction, while Turkey have caused some upsets in the tournament already, a return to form for Netherlands has us believing they will outscore the Turkish side and progress to the Semi-Finals next week.
