Netherlands vs Germany Preview

The Johan Cruijff Arena hosts a heavyweight Nations League Group B opener on Thursday, with both sides arriving off penalty shootout defeats from their most recent outings. Netherlands’ last result was a 1-1 (2-3 on penalties) loss to Morocco, following a 3-1 away win over Tunisia the game before. Prior to that win, a 5-1 home win over Sweden had continued a strong run, and before that a 2-2 home draw with Japan interrupted things. Further back, a 2-1 home win over Uzbekistan opened this sample. Across these five matches Netherlands have taken three wins, a draw and the penalty shootout loss, with the Sweden result their most emphatic scoreline.

Germany’s form has followed a similar shape. Most recently they lost 1-1 (3-4 on penalties) to Paraguay, following a 2-1 away defeat at Ecuador the game before — back-to-back losses either side of the shootout. Prior to those two, a 2-1 home win over Ivory Coast kept an earlier run going, and before that a 7-1 home win over Curacao stood as their biggest scoreline in the sample. Further back, a 1-2 away win at USA completes the run. Across these five outings Germany have taken three wins and two losses, with the two most recent results both ending in defeat.

Germany hold the stronger recent record in this head-to-head, winning two of the last five meetings to Netherlands’ one, with two draws completing the sample. The most recent meeting finished 1-0 to Germany at home in October 2024, following a 2-2 away draw for Germany at Johan Cruijff Arena in September of that year — the same stadium hosting Thursday’s game, and a result that shows Netherlands have at least avoided defeat there recently. Further back, Germany also won 2-1 at home in March 2024, while Netherlands’ solitary win in the sample came 4-2 away back in September 2019.

This is a Nations League group-stage fixture and both sides have yet to play a match in Group B, so the table currently shows all four teams level on zero points.

Netherlands and Germany’s Nations League opener will be shown on Virgin Media Two in the Republic of Ireland, with US viewers able to catch it on fuboTV and ViX. Coverage also extends across Europe via RTL and RTL+ in Germany, NPO 3 and Ziggo Go in the Netherlands, and L’Équipe Live Foot in France.

Possible Lineups

Netherlands — Form

Germany — Form

Head-to-Head

Where to Watch

Table

Group B