Holland v Slovakia Preview & Tips (30th May)

Holland meets Slovakia on the 30th day of May. The international scheduled to start at 18:30 GMT.

Teams News

Holland

Holland is coming off a defeat – a friendly defeat that is – to Bulgaria after leading from 1-0 to losing 2-1. A 45th minute Robin van Persie goal was cancelled out by a 50th minute penalty strike from Ivelin Popov before the Bulgarians stole the game in the 90th minute via an Ilian Micanski back-of-the-net rattler. Netherlands as a result, saw no love at all from the fans watching the game in Amsterdam.

The loss should be an urgent concern to the Dutch, but shouldn’t be treated as a potential catalyst for underperforming come Euro. They are after all going into the Group of Death come the second week of June, and in this group, the simplest mistake of all could cost the tournament then and there. As if a consolation, Germany suffered the same downfall as the Dutchmen – their group of death mates was shocked by a Switzerland that won them over, 5-3.

Slovakia

Slovakia’s youthfulness shone through during the qualifying rounds of the Euro 2012. While the exuberance of the team was in great display in such round, the inexperience also proved lacking – they were once thought of to be in contention for a place in Poland-Ukraine this summer until the likes of the Republic of Ireland and Armenia outplayed them. The result, the Slovaks could only finish fourth, two points behind the Armenians and two wins behind the Irishmen.

There’s only direction to look to now for Slovakia, and that is forward. The Slovaks are seeded second in Group G of the WC qualification first round, with Greece, Bosnia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Liechtenstein. If for anything, this group is ‘winnable’ for the Slovaks, that is if they play their best and beat the rest.

Holland v Slovakia Betting Preview

Count on Holland not to make the same mistake twice; two friendly losses in a row is never a good thing especially if you’re preparing for a major tournament. More importantly, it’s good for Holland to lose as early as now where the stakes are thrown out of the window.

Great teams learn from their mistakes well, and Slovakia knows this to heart. Between them and Holland, it’s going to be a tough batter with one side not wanting to end in embarrassment, and one side playing for nothing with possibly everything to gain.

Betting Tip

Verdict: Holland to win, 2-0

Tip:

A Holland win at 1/4 is almost certain; surely, lightning can’t strike twice. Or can it? Slovakia’s odds of winning the game at 11/1 is surely tempting given the way Bulgaria paid its loyal punters big rewards last time out. Or better yet, why not go for a draw at 9/2? Both teams wouldn’t want to leave this game with tarnish to their pride, and in the end, the avoidance of losing could produce no losers, and no winners.

Still, the best bet here is to go for that Holland win. Don’t second guess logic now when logic wouldn’t want to be beaten again. They are at 11/2 to win at 2-0.

All odds are from Bet365.com (£200 FREE BET!).