England to win in 90 minutes
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Jude Bellingham to score at any time
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Dortmund | Wednesday July 10, 20:00
England will aim to emulate their efforts of three years ago when they take on the Netherlands in the semi-finals of Euro 2024.
The Three Lions lost the last final on penalties to Italy and will be determined to go one better by beating an improving Dutch side in Dortmund and then Spain or France in the final in Berlin on Sunday.
England's campaign has been uninspiring, with few players performing and some experienced names potentially in danger of losing their places.
An opening 1-0 win over Serbia was followed by unconvincing draws against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0) to top Group C before only overcoming Slovakia 2-1 after extra-time.
Gareth Southgate slightly tweaked his shape for Saturday's quarter-final against Switzerland, giving Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden additional licence to roam in central areas although England still looked awkward in attack.
However, Southgate has made a habit of making vital substitutions and three of his changes scored from the spot in the shootout success in Dusseldorf.
While some of England's play has been branded boring, periods of the Dutch's games have been bedlam.
An opening 2-1 win over Poland was followed by a 0-0 draw against France in which they were the better side before a chastening 3-2 defeat to Austria.
Ronald Koeman publicly slated his players after that match and it paid off. They clicked in the last 16 against Romania, winning 3-0, and produced some telling moments in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Turkey.
The Oranje seem to have sacrificed structure to generate the chaos required for their best players to thrive, notably Golden Boot candidate Cody Gakpo. They also have a wildcard in Wout Weghorst, who always appears to make an impact off the bench thanks to the unorthodox nature of his play.
Intriguingly, this combative style could benefit England. The Three Lions' opponents have tended to sit deep and frustrate them but the Dutch will go toe-to-toe. Without the injured Frenkie de Jong and Marten de Roon, their midfield options are predominantly forward-thinking, exposing a defence in which right-back Denzel Dumfries spends most of his time in the opposition half.
England's Bellingham-Foden playmaking axis looked a shade more assured against the Swiss and they will look to exploit the space in front of Dutch central defenders Stefan de Vrij and Virgil van Dijk.
Bellingham looked fresher against Switzerland before tiring in extra-time. The Real Madrid man has struggled at times in the tournament but produced big moments, scoring the winner against Serbia and the equaliser in the victory over Slovakia.
Back on his former home ground in Dortmund, he could thrive in the space behind the Dutch midfield and inspire England to qualify for their second straight Euros final.
