Netherlands, despite possessing some mega stars such as Memphis Depay, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, have been one of the most disappointing teams in the Euro qualifiers. They lie on 4th place in Group A, winning only four matches so far.
Such disappointing performances from Netherlands have led them to the brink of elimination as they prepare to face Czech Republic at Amsterdam Arena on Tuesday. The home team are in serious need of a win in order to have any chances of finishing third in the group and hence battle it out in the playoffs for a place in Euro 2016 in France.
However, sadly enough, even a win does not guarantee them a third place finish as they have to depend on the other game between Turkey and Iceland, and the latter stands top of the group.
Turkey only requires a draw or a win against Iceland to finish third as the Turks have a better head-to head record against the Oranje in the competition. Turkey and Netherlands have 15 and 13 points respectively.
Turkey, who drew against Netherlands in March and defeated them in the return fixture in September 3-0, have a major chance of throwing Netherlands out of the contention.
Netherlands are aware of it and are helpless. They can only concentrate on their game at hand. Emerging triumphant against Czech Republic, who defeated Netherlands in their last fixture, is going to be a challenging task as the Czech's performance in the group stages have been brilliant, only losing twice.
Looking back at their Euro campaign, Netherlands coach Danny Blind feels that their first defeat to Czech Republic was a painful one, which they lost in stoppage time.
"I think the first defeat in Prague to Czech Republic was very painful because it happened in stoppage time. A point away to Czech Republic would have been a good start. Preferably to have won the game also. It's not just that you lose 3 points but also your competitors in the group already have distance. This has proved important also in a mental approach," football-oranje.com quoted Blind as saying.
Had they won that game, would their campaign be any different? That is a different part of the story. At present, Netherlands have to keep their fingers crossed and hope for an Iceland and Netherlands win.
Blind remains positive for an Iceland win over Turkey.
"Yes I believe in that (Iceland to defeat Turkey) and if that happens we will have to wait and see."
Where to watch live
The Netherlands vs Czech Republic Euro 2016 Qualifier match is scheduled for a 7.45pm local time (12.15am IST, 2.45pm ET) start with live TV coverage in India on Sony Kix and live streaming on Livsports.
Viewers in the UK can enjoy the live coverage of Netherlands vs Czech Republic Euro 2016 Qualifiers live on Sky Sports5/HD and can watch it online on Sky Go.
US viewers can catch Netherlands vs Czech Republic Euro 2016 Qualifier match live on ESPN2 with live streaming on Watch ESPN.
Netherlands and Czech Republic viewers can watch it live on NOP3 and CT Sport respectively.
