Netherlands will continue the road to World Cup 2026 when they welcome Malta to the Eurborg Stadium in Groningen for Tuesday's qualifiers. 

The Oranje began their qualifying bid with a successful trip to Finland on Saturday, while the visitors have taken just one point from their opening three matches in Group G. 

Match preview

The Netherlands are focused on their World Cup qualifying bid after their UEFA Nations League campaign ended in a penalty shootout defeat in March's quarter-final tie against Spain.

Having qualified for four of the previous five World Cup finals, the Netherlands will expect to reach the 2026 edition by coming through a qualifying group that features Poland, Finland, Lithuania and Malta.

While their fellow group members started their qualifying bids in March, Ronald Koeman's side finally got their campaign underway in Saturday's trip to Helsinki, where Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries scored in the first period to fire their country to a 2-0 victory.

After ending a five-game winless run, the Oranje will return home for their first meeting with Malta since easing to a 4-0 victory in October 1995 in their qualification bid for Euro 2026.

In fact, they boast a perfect record against Tuesday's opponents, having won all six of their previous meetings without conceding, while they also netted at least four goals in five of those matches.

The hosts will also take confidence from the fact that they have won six and drawn two of their last eight home internationals since losing to France in European Championship qualifying in October 2023. 

Malta entered their qualifying campaign off the back of a satisfactory effort in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League, collecting seven points from four matches to finish in second place and secure a spot in the promotion/relegation playoffs.

They can look forward to facing Luxembourg in a two-legged tie in March 2026, although their current focus is on their latest World Cup qualifying effort.

As the lowest-ranked side in the group, Malta's main goal will be to compete in some tricky matches rather than having any realistic ambition of reaching their first-ever major tournament.

The Reds experienced disappointment in their first two qualifiers during the March international window, losing 1-0 in their home encounter with Finland before falling to a 2-0 away defeat to Poland.

Emilio De Leo's side at least managed to pick up a point in Saturday's home meeting with Lithuania, playing out a goalless draw in Ta'Qali to record their second clean sheet in three home internationals, although they remain bottom of Group G with five matches left to play.

Malta will have their work cut out to trouble the Netherlands in Tuesday's contest, especially as they have failed to score in any their last four matches. 

Netherlands World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

Netherlands form (all competitions):

Malta World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

Malta form (all competitions):

Team News

Netherlands have omitted Bart Verbruggen, Jurrien Timber, Matthijs de Ligt, Jerdy Schouten, Joey Veerman, Kenneth Taylor, Brian Brobbey and Joshua Zirkzee due to a mix of injury and technical reasons.

Stefan de Vrij could partner Virgil van Dijk in central defence after the Inter Milan defender came off the bench to feature as a half-time subsitute at the weekend. 

Depay will continue to lead the line for his country after scoring his 48th goal in 101 international appearances in the recent win over Finland. 

As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon Sion forward Ilyas Chouaref, who is set to serve the second game of a two-match suspension.

In positive news, the defensive duo of Gabriel Mentz and Kurt Shaw are available for selection after missing the draw with Lithuania through suspension.

James Carragher, son of former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, will have his work cut out to stop the Netherlands' attacking talent, with the 22-year-old set to play as one of three central defenders alongside Shaw and Zach Muscat. 

Netherlands possible starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Gravenberch, De Jong, Reijnders; Frimpong, Gakpo, Depay

Malta possible starting lineup:

Bonello; Shaw, Carragher, Muscat; J.Mbong, Guillaumier, Teuma, Satariano, Camenzuli; Jones, P.Mbong

We say: Netherlands 4-0 Malta

The Netherlands should have no issue in claiming three points in Tuesday's contest, and we believe they will produce a free-scoring display to continue their World Cup qualifying campaign with a comfortable victory. 

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