The Netherlands sit top of World Cup qualifying Group G, three points clear of Finland in third.

The last three meetings between this pair have all been won by the Dutch but by no more than a two-goal margin.

Finland’s last win over the Netherlands came all the way back in 1950.

Dutch may labour to victory

The Netherlands can take a giant step towards securing their place at next summer’s World Cup by beating Group G rivals Finland at the Johan Cruyff Arena, but it might not be an emphatic victory for Ronald Koeman’s side.

Oranje have taken 13 points from a possible 15 in the section but despite easing past group whipping boys Malta on Thursday, they have laboured in other matches, drawing their last home fixture with Poland 1-1 and only edging past Lithuania 3-2.

The Dutch were also only 2-0 winners when they faced Finland in June’s reverse group meeting and that has been a pattern of their recent clashes with the Eagle-owls, as although they have won the last three head-to-heads, all those successes have been by no more than a two-goal margin.

Visitors worth considering on the handicap

There is no doubt the Dutch should win this game but Finland could be worth siding with in the handicap market given their last three results against the Oranje have been narrow defeats – a pair of 2-0s and a 2-1.

However, the Finns have not beaten the Netherlands since a friendly success in June 1950 and they have lost 10 of their subsequent 12 head-to-heads.

There is a gulf in class between these teams but the Dutch don’t need to go for the jugular, and based on their recent results, a relatively tight home win can be expected.

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