Ronald Koeman believes the Netherlands’ game against England in the semifinals of Euro 2024 is an evenly matched contest, calling it ‘a 50-50’ game.
The Netherlands manager shared his thoughts with media agencies on Tuesday night after their usual news conference was canceled due to travel issues.
“We know there is not a big difference between the two nations. It is really 50-50 in my opinion,” said Koeman. “We know we need to play the perfect game to win.
“We are prepared for both ways [England’s formation] to compete against them and we know they have a lot of individual qualities. Both teams are really strong, and it will be a good fight.
“We are both experienced coaches, Gareth has many more years as a national coach. We have played several times against each other.”
Commenting on the support from Dutch fans, Koeman added, “It’s good to know we have big support from our country.”
The former Barcelona coach has led his team to the semi-finals with resilience. Initially settling for a third-place finish in their group, the Netherlands beat Romania 3-0 in the round of 16 and later secured a comeback victory over Turkey to reach the last four.
This is Oranje’s first semifinal appearance since 2004. They are aiming to win the trophy for the second time, having last clinched it in 1988 when Germany hosted the tournament.
England, on the other hand, are hoping to go a step further than in the previous edition, where they lost in the final to Italy.
The stage is set for an exciting semifinal clash as both teams vie for a spot in the Euro 2024 final.
