England v Netherlands
Thursday, 19:45
Live on Channel 4
Replacing Scott will be a challenge
Mark Sampson and the girls have done fantastically well so far out in Holland. Their performances have been amazing and this evening's game marks another significant achievement for this impressive squad.
The players are likely to have known the team yesterday, and this time around selection will have been tricky for Mark because he clearly has a team he trusts and Jill Scott can't play. Jordan Nobbs is likely to come into the centre of midfield, and she plays very differently to Jill.
That may in turn change the way other people play, if Jordan went to the middle who will be the player to take her place on the right a creative player? Or a more defensive player? My guess would be Issy Christiansen as a like-for-like change if Jordan does switch in field.
England face the hosts, the Netherlands, who have been the surprise package in this summer's tournament. They beat Sweden with relative ease in the quarter-finals and topped Group A after beating Denmark, Norway and Belgium.
Dutch will be a handful
Lieke Martens and Sherida Spitse are tied for second most goals scored in the tournament (trailing England's Jodie Taylor by three goals), and Martens has had the most shots on target of anyone out in Holland. Therefore it goes without saying that they will be a handful for England.
It's surprising, given the calibre of teams they have played, but the Netherlands defence certainly hasn't been hugely tested yet. England, and the on fire Jodie Taylor, will certainly provide them with more of a test, and I thought it was nice to hear that Jodie had gone for a coffee with Sari van Veenendaal (the Dutch goalie) yesterday. They're Arsenal team mates but they will put that aside this evening; once you're out on the pitch you're there for win, for the bragging rights.
England are in a great place to earn those bragging rights, they have achieved a record breaking win over the French, have the tournament's in-form striker and took the win the last time they met the Netherlands back in November.
A tight England win is the call
I think history will repeat itself and England will take the win today. I'm going for a 2-1 finish, with England scoring an early goal and then nicking another late on to seal the victory. This is currently 12.5 to back in the Correct Score market.
One thing is for certain, this evening's game will benefit from a sizeable crowd, and the England girls should be spurred on by the massive buzz surrounding match day. It also goes without saying that the very same crowd who are there to support the hosts could turn and put pressure on the Netherlands if things aren't going their way.
England will need to take more control of the game, as they did against Scotland. They will need to be better on the ball as the pacy Dutch wingers can definitely hurt teams if play breaks down high up the pitch. If the Lionesses can keep the ball and get the Dutch working, they can get the better of them.
Fingers crossed for this evening and make sure you tune in to Channel 4 at 19:45 to see what happens.
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Check out Dave Farrar's betting tips for both semis