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In a highly anticipated showdown at the De Grolsch Veste on Sunday, the UEFA Nations League resumes with an enticing clash between Italy and Ronald Koeman's Netherlands side. Italy, despite their impressive journey to the final four of the tournament, fell short of securing a place in the ultimate showdown, succumbing to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Spain in their previous encounter.
Eager to make amends, the Azzurri enter this weekend's match with a strong desire to prove their worth.
However, the Netherlands have also endured their fair share of disappointment on the international stage in the past year and cannot afford to stumble once again.
Having suffered a damaging 4-2 loss against Croatia in their recent outing, the Oranje find themselves in a precarious position and are in dire need of a resurgence.
When it comes to head-to-head encounters between these two teams, Italy has a clear upper hand, triumphing in 11 out of the 23 matches played, compared to the Netherlands' mere three victories. .
Nonetheless, recent form suggests that both sides face their own challenges.
Italy has managed to secure just two wins in their last five matches across all competitions, with defeats against England, Spain, and Austria haunting their record during this period. On the other hand, the Netherlands have been productive in front of goal, netting an impressive tally of 12 open-play goals in their previous five outings.
However, defensive lapses have marred their performances, leading to conceding four goals on two separate occasions.
Furthermore, the Netherlands have endured a winless streak of eight matches against Italy in all competitions, with their last triumph against the Azzurri dating back to Euro 2008 when they secured a resounding 3-0 victory.
The recent encounters between these two teams have been tightly contested, resulting in a total of five goals across three matches, with only one clean sheet being kept.
In their previous five encounters with Italy, the Netherlands have managed to find the back of the net on only three occasions, highlighting the challenges they face when trying to breach the Italian defense.
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