There is plenty of experience within the ranks of the current Dutch squad, with Girona’s Daley Blind boasting over 100 caps, while Internazionale pair Stefan de Vrij and Denzel Dumfries are joined by captain Virgil van Dijk who should be nicely rested after recently missing Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa due to suspension.
Indeed, Ronald Koeman’s side appear to have defence as their strongest department considering that Matthijs de Ligt and Nathan Ake are also viable options, although the balance in midfield looks less convincing and the same applies in attack considering that Memphis Depay is not in the latest squad.
Netherlands are still warm favourites to land a victory in Dublin this weekend, with the men in orange having been handed a 4-0 thrashing by France earlier this year although they did beat Gibraltar and will hope to come into this game off the back of a victory over Greece a few days earlier.
For the Irish, the hope is that they can put up a good fight on home soil as they did in France when losing by a solitary goal, although the lack of quality could be telling. In attack, there are slim pickings compared to previous versions of this team, with Adam Idah and Chiedozie Ogbene potentially the best options and the majority of players aren’t operating in the English Premier League.