Netherlands and Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo says people expect his side and England to play better as they prepare to meet at Euro 2024.
The Dutchman will go up against a number of his Premier League rivals in Dortmund on Wednesday night as the Three Lions look to secure a place in back-to-back finals at the tournament.
Gakpo was involved as the Netherlands beat Turkey on Saturday night, and was unlucky not to be awarded the second goal.
It instead went down as a Mert Muldur own goal but the 25-year-old was there to pounce had the Turkish defender not prodded the ball home himself.
Gakpo has already scored three times at Euro 2024 and will be key if Ronald Koeman’s side are to advance to the final against either France or Spain.
He said: “England won so that’s a good sign – like us! In the end, it’s the most important thing.
“You can play good football but still go out.
“Obviously I think everyone knows each country can play a little bit better but if you win, that’s all that matters.”
Cody Gakpo loves international tournaments 👊 pic.twitter.com/zItMqgAXrR
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 6, 2024
Nathan Ake is another Premier League star who will face many of his domestic foes, including Manchester City compatriots Kyle Walker, John Stones and Phil Foden.
He added: “I’m looking forward to it. There’s a lot of players I know from the Premier League.
“We know their individual qualities and it’s a semi-final so it will be tough. We’re building momentum.
“We came through tough stages at the start of the tournament and now we’ve got through another test so I think we’re ready for it.
“Underdog or not – it doesn’t matter. We focus on ourselves. We know what we need to do. We are very close now.”
Anticipation is already building for Wednesday night’s match and England will likely be tagged as favourites against the Netherlands.
But in the final four of a major international tournament, anything can happen so both sides will need to be at their best.
