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Portugal vs. Netherlands: Odds, Live Stream, TV Schedule for UEFA Nations League
June 8, 2019
Portugal and the Netherlands will meet on Sunday in the inaugural UEFA Nations League final.
The Netherlands made it to showpiece after a dramatic win over England on Thursday, when they won 3-1 after extra time, continuing their resurgence under the guidance of manager Ronald Koeman.
Standing in their way in the final will be Portugal, who will provide a massive challenge. Not only will they be well backed as the host nation, but they also have a red-hot Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line. The Juventus man grabbed a wonderful hat-trick in the semi-final win over Switzerland.
Read on for all the key details ahead of Sunday's showdown, including the latest odds on the game, the viewing information and a preview of what's to come.
Odds
Portugal win: 8-5
Draw: 23-10
Netherlands win: 21-10
Odds according to Oddschecker.
Date: Sunday, June 9
Time: 7:45 p.m. (UK), 2:45 p.m. (U.S.)
TV Info: Sky Sports Main Event (UK), ESPN (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), ESPN Player (U.S.)
Preview
Having failed to qualify for the previous two major tournaments, Dutch football was at a nadir. On the evidence of their performances in the Nations League, they are on their way back ahead of the UEFA European Championship in 2020.
In the win over England, they were not at their best for long spells. Still, there was a resilience among the players, as they fought back after Marcus Rashford's penalty and took the game away from the Three Lions in extra time.
The spirit of the side is something Koeman praised after the match via social media:
While the Netherlands have arguably the best defender in the world in their side in Virgil van Dijk, in Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, they also have two extraordinary prospects.
De Ligt made amends for an early error with the equalising goal against the Three Lions, while De Jong's midfield mastery was key in helping the Dutch apply pressure on the England defence. Bleacher Report's Dean Jones had high praise for the latter, who is moving to Barcelona this summer:
If they are going to be victorious on Sunday, they will need to find a way of containing Ronaldo, who dominated the Swiss defence in the semi-final.
The forward played with a sense of freedom, wandering around the final third and picking the ball up in some deeper positions.
However, as is so often the case with Portugal, he did his best work in front of goal. The 34-year-old scored a stunning free-kick in the first period, and after the Swiss had worked their way back into the game, he fired home twice in quick succession in the second half to kill the game.
Here's his first goal of the night:
Per OptaJoe, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United man has made a habit out of netting hat-tricks for club and country:
Van Dijk and De Ligt will have a job on their hands to stop Ronaldo, not to mention the myriad attacking players available to Portugal, with Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes also set to start the game.
While the Netherlands are dynamic, physical and technically gifted, Portugal are a tough nut to crack under Fernando Santos, and in Ronaldo, they possess the ultimate big-game player. In an edgy game, the home side will battle to victory.
Prediction: Portugal 2-1 Netherlands