Netherlands will secure passage into the last 16 of the World Cup by avoiding defeat against Qatar.

Successive defeats from their opening two games mean that Qatar have exited the tournament at an earlier stage than any other host nation. They have one last chance to restore some pride, but face a tricky task in toppling Louis van Gaal’s Oranje.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of their showdown.

Netherlands vs Qatar H2H Results (All Time)

This will be the first meeting between Netherlands and Qatar.

Current Form (Last Five Games)

Netherlands team news

Van Gaal has been easing Memphis Depay back into the fold following injury and could make his first tournament start here.

Steven Berghuis may also be called into the starting XI in place of Teun Koopmeiners, while Davy Klaassen is likely to return to the bench.

Netherlands Starting 11 (3-4-1-2): Noppert; Timber, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, Berghuis, F. De Jong, Blind; Gakpo; Memphis, Bergwijn
Bench: Bijlow, Pasveer, Frimpong, Malacia, De Ligt, De Vrij, Taylor, Koopmeiners, Klaassen, De Roon, Janssen, Lang, Simons, L. De Jong, Weghorst

Qatar team news

Qatar were much improved in the second half of their loss to Senegal, and so manager Felix Sanchez could call on some of the names who helped change the game.

Mohammed Muntari, having grabbed their first goal of the tournament, is in line for a start as a reward.

Qatar Starting 11 (3-5-2): Barsham; Miguel, Khoukhi, Hassan; Mohammad, Boudiaf, Madibo, Al-Haydos, Ahmed; Afif, Muntari
Bench: Sheeb, Ali, Abdulsallam, Al-Hadhrami, Waad, Salman, Hatem, Assadalla, Kheder, Mashaal, Alaaeldin, Hajri, Ali, Mazeed

After such a disappointing showing against Ecuador last time out, the Netherlands will be keen to flex their attacking muscle again, especially when faced with such a weak Qatar side.

The Maroon’s destiny has already been sealed and while they may play without a bit of pressure put on them in the opening games, the difference in quality between themselves and the Dutch will still be hugely telling.

Prediction: Netherlands 3-0 Qatar

Credit: 90min.com

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