The Netherlands and Sweden will face off at Houston's NRG Stadium on Saturday in their second Group F match of this summer's World Cup. Ronald Koeman's side began their campaign with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Japan, one of the biggest surprises of the tournament's opening round. Sweden, meanwhile, cruised to a 5-1 victory over Tunisia, a result that was followed by a stunning managerial shake-up. Tunisia responded by dismissing head coach Sabri Lamouchi and appointing Herve Renard in the middle of the tournament, one of the most unexpected decisions in recent World Cup history.
This is a must-win game for the Netherlands that will need to best version of themselves against a solid team led by Graham Potter, the first foreign coach of the Swedish national team since George Raynor, who took Sweden to a third-place finish in 1950 and were runners-up in 1958 at the World Cup. Dutch striker Donyell Malen enters Saturday's clash in good form after scoring 15 goals in 20 appearances for AS Roma since joining the club in January 2026. His 14 Serie A goals are the second-most in Europe's top five leagues during that period of time, trailing only Harry Kane (17), and were enough to see him finish tied for second in the league's scoring race despite arriving midway through the season. Meanwhile, Crysencio Summerville made an immediate impact at the World Cup, scoring against Japan for his first-ever international goal and continuing his emergence as one of the best and exciting talents at the World Cup and attracting interests from multiple top clubs around Europe. Here's what you need to know:
How to watch Netherlands vs. Sweden
Date: Saturday, June 20 | Time: 1 p.m. ET Location: NRG Stadium -- Houston TV: FOX (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free) Odds: Netherlands -135; Draw +280; Sweden +360
Netherlands vs. Sweden predicted starting lineups
Netherlands: Bart Verbruggen; Micky van de Ven, Virgil van Dijk, Jan Paul van Hecke, Denzel Dumfries; Tijjani Reijnders, Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch; Cody Gakpo, Donyell Malen, Crysencio Summerville.
Sweden: Kristoffer Nordfeldt; Victor Lindelof, Isak Hien, Gustaf Lagerbielke; Gabriel Gudmundsson, Yasin Ayari, Jesper Karlström, Alexander Bernhardsson; Benjamin Nygren; Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres.
Keep up with the World Cup standings here!
Netherlands vs. Sweden pick, prediction
Sweden were one of the most convincing teams in the opening game but the Netherlands need a win after a disappointing start against Japan. Pick: Netherlands 2, Sweden 1.
Check out our World Cup expert predictions.
Golazo 48 Nations: Follow the World Cup all summer long
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