Netherlands vs Italy prediction 18/06/2023 Nations League

• Date: 18/06/2023
• Competition: UEFA Nations League
• KO: 14:00 UK / 15:00 CEST
• Venue: De Grolsch Veste (Enschede)

The UEFA Nations League Third Place Play-Off takes place at the De Grolsh Veste in Enschede as the Netherlands host Italy.

An entertaining set of UNL semi-finals saw Croatia and Spain emerge victorious, and those nations will clash in the final of this competition later on Sunday. However, before that exciting occasion in Rotterdam, a decent contest can be expected, with both nations keen to finish their seasons on a high. 

Netherlands vs Italy Betting Tips: BTTS

While the need for this fixture can be questioned, we should still expect an entertaining matchup on Sunday with third place up for grabs.

With no need to sit back and defend, both nations should adopt an attack-minded approach in an event that usually sees attacking and entertaining contests. While UEFA does have a third-place playoff for European Championships, previous third-place matches at the FIFA World Cup have typically followed that script. 11 of 12 previous third-placed games at that competition saw over 2.5 goals scored while five of the last seven also saw BTTS.

Both nations have also displayed defensive weakness in recent performances, and with that in mind, we´re confidently backing both teams to get on the score sheet.

In this competition, eight of the Netherlands' last ten games finished with BTTS, while six of the Italian´s last nine UNL games also saw both teams scoring. More recently, the Dutch have managed just one clean sheet in their last five (against Gibraltar) while conceding 11 goals.

Likewise, the Italians have proven unreliable defensively, with just one clean sheet in their five most recent fixtures (against Malta). Mancin´s side also leaked two goals or more in three of their last four games, all of which ended in defeat.

A quick check of the h2h record also adds weight to the BTTS pick, with three of their last four meetings seeing both nations score. In addition, three of their six most recent games since 2013 finished as a 1:1 draw. However, with the beaches awaiting, both nations will be keen to get this one done in 90 minutes, so we´ll stick with the both to score choice in what should be an entertaining prelude to the UNL finale on Sunday.