Netherlands vs Norway: Depay should lead his team to the World Cup

The Netherlands were five minutes away from a direct trip to the World Cup in Qatar, but they got an early leg up. Now everything will be decided in the match against Norway. Will there be another upset, or will Louis van Gaal's team recover? The second outcome looks more realistic.

The Dutch almost eliminated all questions about the group winner, leading 2-0 away to Montenegro. But the Montenegrins heroically scored two goals in the final ten minutes of regulation time to salvage a 2-2 loss. Yes, the first place had not gone anywhere. Yes, the gap from the nearest pursuer - Norway - of two points remained. But the Norwegians are joined by the Turkish national team, also two points behind the Dutch. However, the Turks are unlikely to step on the same rake in Montenegro that the Netherlands did last weekend. That's why there is no way out; they need to win.

The Norwegian national team embarrassed themselves in the last round by not scoring a single goal against one of the worst teams in the group, Latvia. Even their 73% possession and 25 shots against the Latvians' goal kept the scoreboard scoreless. The Norwegians lacked Erling Haaland. Thus, Norway missed a real chance to equalise with the Dutch on points. And now their chances of qualifying for the World Cup and even for the knockout rounds have plummeted. We must take our chances in Rotterdam, or they will laugh at this team.

We believe that due to the high price of error, the game will not be productive. That's why we recommend betting on Total Under (3) goals for 1.80. We also believe that Memphis Depay will continue to rack up his goal count. He has scored 11 goals so far, and this is the best figure in the European tournament. You can bet on the Barcelona striker's goal for 1.85.

In conclusion, we think the score will be close due to the high stakes. That's why we recommend betting on the Norwegians' handicap (+1.5) goals for 1.93.