Netherlands are a shadow of a side that beat La Roja in the FIFA World Cup in 2014. After defeats to lowly Iceland and Czech Republic along with a draw against minnows Turkey courtesy of Sneijder's last gasp eqauliser, the Dutch have struggled to find their form that took them to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
The highly anticipated repeat of the 2010 World Cup final was one of the opening games of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Many expected a tough competition between the two, but it was anything but that, as Netherlands went rampant on the defending champions. An early penalty scored by Spain's Xabi Alonso was overshadowed by the five star performance by Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben, who scored two goals each. Stefan de Vrij was also among the goalscorers on the night which was one of the worst in Spain's history.
Robin Van Persie's 15 yard diving header was the goal of the night and was one of the best scored in the tournament, but a fantastic solo goal by Arjen Robben was the final nail on the coffin, as Spain were humiliated with a scoreline of 5-1 by a flambouyant Netherlands side led by Louis Van Gaal at the end of 90 minutes.
But Netherlands are a shadow of a side that beat La Roja in the FIFA World Cup in 2014. After defeats to lowly Iceland and Czech Republic along with a draw against minnows Turkey courtesy of Sneijder's last gasp eqauliser, the Dutch have struggled to find their form that took them to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
A victory against Spain on Tuesday would be a morale boosting win for the Dutch and would definitely help them turn around their stuttering Euro Qualifying campaign.
Spain on the other hand, have been in better form since their World Cup humiliation. Vicente del Bosque will take his La Roja side to the Dutch capital with a sense of confidence, as his team beat Ukraine 1-0 in a hard fought victory in Sevilla, in the Euro 2016 Qualifiers.
Spain will draw inspiration from their 2010 World Cup final triumph over Netherlands that saw them win in extra time, courtesy of Andres Iniesta's winner. A similar performance will surely ensure victory for La Roja.
Needless to say, Netherlands will look to replicate their incredible performance that saw them beat Spain 5-1, the last time these two sides met.
Tuesday's match may be a friendly on paper, but Netherlands will be weary of a resurgent Spanish side who will be going into this fixture with revenge on their minds. but rest assured, a feisty contest awaits us.
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