With confidence on the rise, the Netherlands will look to make it back-to-back wins in front of their home fans.
The Netherlands continue their World Cup 2026 qualifying journey on Tuesday when they host Malta at the Euroborg Stadium in Groningen for a Group G clash. Ronald Koeman’s side got off to a solid start with a composed 2-0 away win against Finland on Saturday, ending a four-game winless run and setting the tone for their campaign.
The Oranje are eager to build momentum and bounce back from their March exit in the UEFA Nations League, where they narrowly lost to Spain in a penalty shootout. Tuesday night marks the first-ever meeting between the Netherlands and Malta, and the hosts are expected to dominate proceedings here.
Malta earned their first point of the qualifiers with a goalless draw against Lithuania, a result that provided some relief following back-to-back defeats. However, facing a technically superior Dutch side away from home will be a considerable step up in difficulty. The depth and quality in the Dutch squad will be a significant challenge for the visitors, who remain winless in four games.
Ronald Koeman is expected to make a few adjustments to his starting XI in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier. A number of players have been omitted from the squad, including Bart Verbruggen, Jurrien Timber, Matthijs de Ligt, Jerdy Schouten, Joey Veerman, Kenneth Taylor, Brian Brobbey, and Joshua Zirkzee.
Inter Milan centre-back Stefan de Vrij is in line to start alongside captain Virgil van Dijk in central defence. Further up the pitch, Micky van de Ven and Xavi Simons are among those who could be rotated into the starting XI. Up front, Memphis Depay is expected to retain his spot after netting his 48th international goal in the win over Finland. With confidence on the rise and a favorable fixture ahead, the Netherlands will look to make it back-to-back wins and possibly produce a statement performance in front of their home fans.
Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Gravenberch, De Jong, Reijnders; Frimpong, Gakpo, Depay
Malta will be without forward Ilyas Chouaref, who remains suspended for Tuesday’s clash as he serves the second game of a two-match ban. However, head coach Emilio De Leo will be boosted by the return of defenders Kurt Shaw and Gabriel Mentz, both back from suspension. Kurt Shaw is expected to slot straight back into the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Malta are likely to revert to a three-man defence to cope with the Dutch attacking threat.
Bonello; Shaw, Carragher, Muscat; J.Mbong, Guillaumier, Teuma, Satariano, Camenzuli; Jones, P.Mbong
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