Netherlands play their third game in the nations league this evening against Greece. The Euro 2004 winners welcome the Dutch to Athens full of confidence after beating both Serbia and Germany. A nation that has been in the footballing wilderness for some time now looks set for a return to the big stage and, judging on the talent at their disposal, could be a dark horse going into Euro 2028.
Dutch fans will be well aware of some of the players in the Greek line up. Over a number of years, striker Vangelis Pavlidis scored goals for fun during spells with Willem II and more recently AZ Alkmaar. After 80 goals in just 137 games for AZ, Pavlidis left the Netherlands for Benfica. Since 2024 he has kept up his scoring success, with 74 goals in 123 games.
Yet it is the young players that are catching the eye for Greece, with Kos Karetsas the real emerging star. The former Genk midfielder left Belgian football this past summer for Borussia Dortmund at the age of just 18 and already has the ‘wonderkid’ tag. By the time the next Euros come around, Karetsas will only just be entering his 20s. Alongside the likes of former Club Brugge man Christos Tzolis and Brighton forward Charalampos Kostoulas, Greece really do have an attack brimming with talent.
In many ways, this will be a bigger test for Xavi as head coach of the Netherlands than the home game with Germany. Away from home against a Greek side that are starting to prove themselves will give Xavi a chance to see which players rise to the occasion and which get overawed by what is likely to be a intimidating atmosphere with the game being reported as a sell out.
The Netherlands played Greece twice during qualification for the previous Euros, winning 3-0 at home and 1-0 away. However, this Greek side are better than the one from three years ago and should prove to be a real test. Should they make Euro 2028, expect many to have them as dark horses for the tournament.
