Hilal Nador Overview

Netherlands belatedly announced themselves as serious World Cup contenders by hammering Sweden 5-1 in Houston on Saturday evening. The Dutch had performed only in patches in their opening-round draw with Japan and coach Ronald Koeman was criticised for his perceived conservatism. However, his team produced a devastating attack display to dismantle a Sweden side that had kicked off their campaign with a 5-1 win of their own, over Tunisia.

Netherlands 5 (Brobbey '6, '17, Gakpo '47, '54, Summerville '89) Sweden 1 (Elanga '59)

Denzel Dumfries has called for a significant shift in the Netherlands' team culture, urging his international team-mates to adopt a more confrontational approach. The wing-back believes the squad must learn from the high-pressure environment of the Inter dressing room to ensure success on the world stage.

Check out our soccer expert’s Netherlands vs Sweden predictions, prior to Saturday’s 1:00pm ET World Cup clash (6/20).