Netherlands vs. Croatia Betting Tips: Best two bets for Nations League clash

There's no rest for the wicked as the international football fixture list returns this week with an offering of Nations League and Euro 2024 qualifiers.

First up on Wednesday, we have the Nations League semi-final between Netherlands and Croatia, who do battle in Rotterdam.

JimmyThePunt is on hand to preview the clash and provide his best two bets.

It has been a relentless season for the elite players. 

There will be a lot of tired legs in Rotterdam. The World Cup in Qatar sandwiched in between the usual domestic duties, Luka Modric has made 61 appearances for club and country, for example. 

That said, the chance of silverware cannot be scoffed at and despite the Nations League being a competition being very much in its infancy, it is taken seriously at this stage.

Netherlands lost out in the first Nations League final back in 2019. Since the World Cup, Ronald Koeman's impact on the Dutch side has been minimal. In the first game of the current stint, Oranje were thumped 4-0 by France and then they only put three past minnows Gibraltar, who played the majority of the second half with 10 men. 

Koeman is expected to opt for a 4-3-3 here with Xavi Simmons and Steven Bergwijn flanking Cody Cakpo in attack.  

Croatia exceeded expectations in Qatar, once again, reaching the semi-final stage where they lost to winners Argentina. 

Josko Gvardiol was a rock for his nation, the central defender is ruled out of this clash with a groin injury.  

Siding with a lack of goals here appeals for a few reasons. The first is the timing of the game. This season's schedule has been hectic and plenty of the players expected to play on Wednesday have played around 50 matches. 

The next is the occasion. The Nations League does not have the prestige of other international tournaments but it does have its perks, and obviously neither side will want to lose a competitive game of football. 

Finally, and most crucially, the sides involved are a bit lacklustre. En route to their third-place finish in the World Cup, Croatia failed to score in four of their six games.

Since then, each of their two games have seen two or fewer goals scored. 

The natives were not impressed by Louis van Gaal’s conservative tactics in Qatar either. Yes, they scored in each of their five games, 10 goals in total, but they only generated an xG of 5.46. 

Sticking along similar lines, backing no first goalscorer also appeals. Essentially, this is the same as siding with 0.5 goals or the 0-0 correct score but keeps us covered if the only goal of the game is an own goal.

The thinking is the same as for BTTS 'no’ but it is also worth noting that half of Croatia’s games in Qatar ended goalless after 90 minutes. 

Best of luck if you are backing any of these selections and please remember to gamble responsibly.