The Netherlands start another era under Louis van Gaal on Wednesday with a tough away fixture against Norway. Will the legendary manager mark his return with a win?
Bookmaker William Hill has the visitors as favorites for the clash offering odds at 1.75 for a Netherlands victory. The odds are at 4.50 for Norway to win and the draw is available with the odds at 3.60.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 31st, 5:00 P.M. (EST)
van Gaal came out of retirement to lead the Netherlands for the third time. His previous two spells have produced mixed results. The 70-year-old took the Oranje to a third-place finish at the 2014 World Cup, but his first spell in charge ended in disaster with the nation missing the 2002 World Cup.
Overall, van Gaal’s record with the Netherlands stands at 27 wins, 13 draws and four losses. He won an outstanding 62 percent of matches during his second stint, and the Netherlands fans will surely expect him to produce similar results this time around as well.
The Netherlands have struggled for consistency ever since losing Ronald Koeman to Barcelona 12 months ago. Frank De Boer managed to get the team to play some very exciting football during the group stage at the Euros, but their run at the competition ended on a sour note with a loss to the Czech Republic in the Round of 16.
van Gaal will be under pressure to produce results straight away with the team trailing Turkey in Group G of the European World Cup qualifiers. Will it be the third time’s a charm for him? Van Gaal’s first spell in charge started with a 2-2 draw against the Republic of Ireland and he suffered a 4-2 loss against Belgium during his second try.
Things have changed a lot since van Gaal last had a job as a manager in 2016. Back then Erling Haaland has just a 16-year-old kid making his first steps in professional football in the Norwegian second division. Now he’s one of the hottest names in world football and his presence gives Norway a real hope of getting to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
Haaland has started another season in great form scoring six goals in five appearances for Borussia Dortmund, and he’ll be hoping to carry over his club form to the international stage. Amazingly, Haaland has scored just once in his last six outings for Norway.
It’s going to be a special match for the Scandinavian side. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has played its home games in Malaga, Spain this year. Norway last had an actual home match in October 2020 with the stands empty. The fans will be back on Wednesday with the local authorities allowing up to 7,000 spectators for the game.
