PREVIEW: Spain v The Netherlands – FIFA Women’s World Cup Team News, Predicted Lineups and Where to Watch

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With the FIFA Women’s World Cup now whittled down to the final eight nations, the competition has truly began to heat up – and the quarterfinals commence on Friday, 11 August with this mammoth clash of two European nations.

La Roja will fancy their chances against the Oranjeleeuwinnen, having won all but one of their matches by a comfortable margin. Jorge Vilda’s side kickstarted their campaign with a 3-0 win against Costa Rica, before scoring five unanswered goals past a dismal Zambian outfit – Jenni Hermoso and Alba Redondo stole the show in that encounter.

With Japan having also picked up six points from their opening two matches in Group C, their clash on July 31 evolved into a winner-takes-all contest. Yet bizarrely, finishing as runners-up may have actually been beneficial, as that would set up a round-of-sixteen encounter against Switzerland – while the group winners would take on a Norwegian side that had proven to be incredibly inconsistent throughout their opening matches.

Spain were utterly outclassed by the Nadeshiko, suffering a 4-0 defeat in Wellington. The likes of Hinata Miyazawa proved to be ruthless, with Miyazawa in particular netting two goals and registering a further assist – with Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas rendered useless in the heart of the Spanish midfield.

Their round-of-sixteen tie with la Nati looked to be a comfortable one on paper, and Aitana Bonmatí placed la Roja on course for victory with a sumptuous strike after just six minutes. But merely five minutes later, Laia Codina’s horrific own goal cast Spain’s progression hopes into doubt – handing the Swiss a lifeline and a chance to worm themselves back into contention.

From there though, Jorge Vilda’s side bagged three additional goals before the half-time interval – with Aitana Bonmatí scoring her second of the evening, having also assisted Alba Redondo. Laia Codina also made amends for her earlier mistake – and the match was truly put to bed in the 70th minute, as Aitana Bonmati teed up Jenni Hermoso to seal a 5-1 victory for la Roja.

The Netherlands haven’t been quite as free-scoring as their Spanish opponents, netting 11 goals across the tournament thus far – though seven of those came against Vietnam. The Oranjeleeuwinnen kickstarted their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Portugal, with Stefanie van der Gragt’s early header enough to seal three points on that occasion.

The Dutch looked set to earn another win against the United States in their next group stage clash, though Jill Roord’s opener was only enough for a point – as Lindsey Horan equalised for the reigning World Champions just after the hour mark. Andries Jonker’s side were able to find form with a seven-goal thrashing of Vietnam in their third and final group stage match though, ensuring they topped the group to set up a round-of-sixteen tie against South Africa.

Jill Roord was on the scoresheet once more for the Oranjeleeuwinnen as they faced the Banyana Banyana in Sydney – but Andries Jonker’s side struggled to find their second goal. Lieke Martens thought she had found it just after half-time, though that was ruled off for offside. Lineth Beerensteyn found the elusive second goal from long-range with twenty minutes remaining though, as Kaylin Swart failed to adequately deal with her rather speculative effort. Ultimately though, her mishap allowed the Netherlands to claim a 2-0 win – sealing their progression to the final eight.

Spain have played the Netherlands on five occasions prior to this clash in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup – claiming victory on the three most recent meetings. The Oranjeleeuwinnen won both clashes in 2008 by a 2-0 margin, but have failed to record a win agains the Spanish since.