Both teams look to book their round-of-16 spot with a win in a highly-anticipated Women’s World Cup clash in Wellington.
Where: Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand
Kickoff: 1pm local time (01:00 GMT)
There are no lack of talking points going into this replay of the 2019 Women’s World Cup final.
Could revenge be on the minds of the Netherlands team? Can the US add to their authority in the tournament and beat one of the best teams in the world? Which will be the first team to progress to the round of 16 from the so-called “group of death”?
Both teams will renew their rivalry when they meet in their group stage encounter on Thursday, four years after the Americans triumphed over the Oranje in the final to win a fourth crown.
US head coach Vlatko Andonovski said his team will do “whatever it takes” to win.
“Their [Netherlands] experience may be an advantage or people may look at it as an advantage. But the unknowns and unpredictability that comes with our squad could be an advantage,” Andonovski said.
“Also, the young players that are on the field, they play very freely. They’re not stressed.”
US midfielder Rose Lavelle is not dwelling on the past but she also expects a rough outing after the Americans beat the Dutch again, on penalties, in the quarter-finals of the Olympics.
“Every time we play them, it’s a very physical, intense match. They’re technical, good on set pieces,” she said.
We meet again.
Preview » https://t.co/U9CTyx9PNz#USWNT x @Visa pic.twitter.com/ooewsyxwF1
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 25, 2023
According to Netherlands coach Andries Jonker, his team respects but do not fear the Americans.
He expects the contest in Wellington to set an “example of modern women’s football” as the closely-matched teams battle for top spot in Group E.
“It will be a fight from the first minute until the last,” he said ahead of the match.
It’s #USANED! 🇺🇸🇳🇱
Say no more! 🔥#FIFAWWC #TheOranjeBeat pic.twitter.com/X6aCHHjCWh— OranjeLeeuwinnen (@oranjevrouwen) July 26, 2023
The Dutch may not have their all-time leading goal scorer Vivianne Miedema, who is out injured, but compared with the Americans, they have more experience to bank on from the spine of the 2019 team which is largely intact.
Jonker believes the rest of the world, the Dutch included, are closing in on the United States.
“This is the development of women’s football,” he said. “Are we getting closer? The feeling is yes. Tomorrow is the first time we can check if we are closer or not.”
USA team news
The defending champions are expected to name an unchanged team after their 3-0 win over Vietnam in the opening match, and will be hoping star forward Alex Morgan gets back to scoring ways after failing to convert from the spot.
She’s THAT girl. Great team win💥 pic.twitter.com/6r9IV9XJcG
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) July 22, 2023
Netherlands team news
Jonker is also likely to go with the same squad that edged past Portugal 1-0 in their first match.
Head-to-head
USA have beaten the Netherlands in eight of their nine previous meetings, with their last win coming in the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games in 2021. The Netherlands have not beaten the US since 1996.
Form and ranking
USA: W W W W W
USA are the world’s top-ranked and most successful football team.
Netherlands: W L W W W
Netherlands are a much stronger side than their number nine FIFA women’s ranking suggests and are considered one of the best teams in Europe.
Where can I watch the game?
Global listings are available from livesoccertv.com.
You can also follow our live blog on the match day.