Netherlands vs Germany prediction: Nations League preview, team news, lineups, odds & h2h

• The Netherlands vs Germany prediction article for UEFA Nations League breaks down form, key players, odds and H2H meetings ahead of the clash.
• The two sides will lock horns on Thursday September 24 at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
• Kick off set for 9:45pm EAT.

The UEFA Nations League gets underway on Thursday with a blockbuster League A Group 2 opener as the Netherlands welcome Germany to the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

This historic rivalry marks the beginning of an exciting new era for both European giants as they introduce high-profile new managers to the international stage.

Xavi Hernandez takes charge of his very first match for the Dutch national team. On the opposing bench, Jurgen Klopp makes his highly anticipated debut as Germany’s head coach.

Both sides will be highly motivated to make a strong statement on Thursday night, especially after suffering painful penalty shootout exits in the Round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup just a few months ago.

For the Dutch, their elimination was a bitter pill to swallow after a strong showing in Group F, where they finished top with convincing wins over Sweden and Tunisia.

However, their knockout momentum came crashing to a halt against Morocco in a gruelling encounter where Cody Gakpo’s 72nd-minute breakthrough was cancelled out by an injury-time equaliser from Issa Diop.

The game was pushed into extra time and eventually a tense shootout, where the AFCON champions ultimately triumphed 3-2 on penalties.

Germany’s path to the World Cup knockout stage was equally dramatic, highlighted by a roaring Group E campaign featuring a 7-1 thrashing of Curacao and a late, injury-time comeback victory against the Ivory Coast.

Yet their tournament also fell apart in the Round of 32 against a relentless Paraguay side in Boston.

ALSO READ: Morocco stun Netherlands on penalties to reach FIFA World Cup Round of 16

After falling behind early, Kai Havertz rescued the Germans with a 54th-minute equaliser, while a potentially game-winning extra-time header from Jonathan Tah was controversially ruled out by VAR.

The ensuing sudden-death penalty shootout made brutal history as Germany suffered a World Cup shootout defeat for the first time ever, crashing out 4-3 on penalties after Tah sent the decisive spot-kick over the crossbar.

These devastating exits forced both federations into immediate structural resets, with Xavi taking charge of the Oranje and succeeding Ronald, while Klopp takes the reins of Germany following the departure of Julian Nagelsmann.

ALSO READ: Paraguay stun Germany on penalties to book 2026 World Cup Round of 16 spot

The two sides will lock horns on Thursday, September 24, at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, with kick-off set for 9:45pm East Africa Time.

The Netherlands will have to cope without Donyell Malen and Justin Kluivert, who have both withdrawn from the squad due to injury, joining the likes of Mats Wieffer, Matthijs de Ligt and Xavi Simons on the sidelines.

Midfield trio Frenkie de Jong, Martin de Roon and Jerdy Schouten will also play no part during this international break, while experienced attackers Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst have been omitted from Xavi’s first squad.

As for Germany, Florian Wirtz, Karim Adeyemi, Nick Woltemade, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Said El Mala are among those who will not be involved on Thursday after being named in the second group, while Leon Goretzka and Deniz Undav have been left out entirely due to injury.

Netherlands vs Germany predicted lineups

• Netherlands: Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven; Koopmeiners, Gravenberch, Reijnders; Summerville, Brobbey, Gakpo
• Germany: Ter Stegen; Treu, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Kimmich, Nmecha; Karl, Musiala, Schade; Havertz

Germany lead the all-time series with 18 wins to the Netherlands’ 12, alongside 18 draws across 48 meetings. They are also unbeaten in their last four encounters, recording two wins and two draws.

The pair were drawn together in the last Nations League as well, with their most recent meeting seeing Germany claim a narrow 1-0 victory.

• October 14, 2024: Germany 1-0 Netherlands
• September 10, 2024: Netherlands 2-2 Germany
• March 26, 2024: Germany 2-1 Netherlands
• March 29, 2022: Netherlands 1-1 Germany

Both sides come into this clash under new managers and with fresh tactical approaches, meaning they could look significantly different from their previous encounters.

While Germany may appear stronger on paper, the Netherlands are unlikely to make things easy and should push their opponents throughout the contest.

The Dutch will fancy their chances of coming out on top and ending Germany’s recent dominance in this fixture.

We expect goals from both sides, especially considering that the last four meetings have all produced goals, while the Dutch are still searching for a victory over the Germans.