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2022/23 UEFA Nations League
League A - Group 4
Matchday 1
Belgium v Netherlands
Stade Roi Baudouin
Brussels, Belgium
Friday, 3 June 2022
Kick-off is at 18h45
The Netherlands will be seeking their first win over Belgium since 1997 when they meet in the UEFA Nations League on matchday 1 at the Stade Roi Baudouin on Friday, June 3.
The two neighbours have a long-standing rivalry dating back to 1901 known as the Low Countries derby, which has been contested 127 times.
Oranje lead in the head-to-head record with 55 wins as opposed to 41 for the Red Devils, who have triumphed twice in their last four encounters.
The Dutch made it to the final of the inaugural competition in 2018/19 when they lost 1-0 to Portugal, while the Belgians were beaten 2-1 by Italy in the third place playoff two years later.
Louis van Gaal's side are unbeaten in their last nine games since going down 2-0 to the Czech Republic at the 2020 European Championships. They most recently drew 1-1 with Germany in a friendly during the international break in March.
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Van Gaal omitted Georginio Wijnaldum from his latest squad, citing the midfielder's lack of playing time with Paris Saint-Germain as the reason for his exclusion.
This is the first time that Wijnaldum has been dropped from the national team since March 2014 and his compatriot admitted to making a difficult decision.
"Unfortunately, little has changed in Gini's situation at his club since our last two international matches in March," Van Gaal was quoted as saying by Dutch outlet VI.
"As a result, I am forced to make other choices, no matter how difficult and regrettable I personally find it."
Roberto Martinez's team went through their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign undefeated to finish top of Group E and secure their place at the showpiece event in Qatar.
Their only two defeats since being beaten 2-1 by eventual champions Italy in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals came in the last edition of the UEFA Nations League. They drew 2-2 with the Republic of Ireland and ran out 3-0 victors against Burkina Faso during the last international break.
Martinez is looking forward to facing the Netherlands, but claims their upcoming four fixtures in June will be a real challenge.
"The Nations League brings these glamorous ties and for us the Netherlands is a real derby, a footballing derby, a big occasion," the Spaniard said.
"It's the first time we're going to play four games in an international camp. It's going to be challenging but exciting because you are going to play six games in almost four months and the competition is going to take shape very quickly."
Head-to-Head record:
Matches - 127
Belgium - 41
Netherlands - 55
Draws - 31
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