There’s almost nothing bar a pure quality to separate Netherlands and Montenegro ahead of their crunch 2022 World Cup qualifying encounter at the Philips Stadion.
Louis van Gaal’s third stint in the Netherlands’ dugout saw the ‘Oranje’ come from behind to clinch a 1-1 draw away against Norway last time out, extending their unbeaten streak in the ongoing World Cup qualifying cycle to three games (W2, D1). With just a single point separating the top-four sides in what many consider ‘group of death,’ it’s hard to predict the top-two finishers, though the Netherlands remain warm favorites to book their ticket for Qatar 2022. Van Gaal’s return to the helm in the wake of the national team’s shocking Euro 2020 last-16 exit to the Czech Republic is a statement of intent. The Netherlands have lost just one of their last 18 World Cup qualifying matches under the ex-Manchester United manager (W14, D3), notably netting 2+ goals in each victory in that sequence.
Heading to Eindhoven for their first-ever meeting with the Netherlands, high-flying Montenegro sit below their hosts on goal difference alone, having lost just one of their first four games in Group G (W2, D1, L1). Though their only victories in this World Cup qualifying campaign came at the expense of minnows Latvia and Gibraltar, bouncing back from a two-goal deficit to claim a 2-2 draw away against Turkey last time out is inspiring. But despite their recent form, a record of 3.17 goals conceded on average across their previous six fixtures against top-12 ranked UEFA nations (W1, L5) sums up their underdog status in a nutshell. Topically, their most recent trip to such opposition yielded a horrendous 7-0 defeat at the hands of England in November 2019.
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