Netherlands vs Germany: Under-21 EURO background, form guide, previous meetings

Neighbours the Netherlands and Germany face a rapid reunion with a place in the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final on the line.

• The sides drew 1-1 in the group stage at this tournament in March before coming through dramatic quarter-finals on 31 May to set up this contest. The Dutch came from behind to defeat France 2-1, Myron Boadu scoring twice including a 93rd-minute winner, before Germany beat Denmark 6-5 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

• The winners of this tie will face Spain or Portugal in the final on 6 June in Ljubljana.

Previous meetings
• The teams drew 1-1 on Matchday 2, also at the MOL Aréna Sóstó in Székesfehérvár, with Lukas Nmecha scoring an 84th-minute equaliser to cancel out Justin Kluivert's opener three minutes into the second half. That point helped the Dutch top Group A despite finishing level on five points with Germany, the pair advancing to the knockout stage at the expense of Romania, who had also collected five points.

• That was the side's 17th U21 match, with seven German wins and five for the Netherlands.

• The sides' last meeting before that 27 March fixture came in a friendly in Offenbach am Main, Germany, on 16 November 2018, the home side running out 3-0 winners thanks to goals from Philipp Ochs (14 pen), Abdelhamid Sabiri (58) and substitute Törles Knöll (79).

• Justin Bijlow, Perr Schuurs, Dani de Wit, Ferdi Kadioglu and Kluivert all started that game for the Netherlands, with Kaj Sierhuis coming on and Maarten Paes and Tyrell Malacia unused substitutes. Janni Serra was in Germany's starting line-up.

• The sides have now met in six competitive U21 meetings, the most recent before this tournament at the 2013 finals in Israel where Leroy Fer's 90th-minute goal gave the Netherlands a 3-2 Matchday 1 win in Petah Tikva. First-half goals from Adam Maher (24) and Georginio Wijnaldum (38) had seemingly put the Dutch in command only for Sebastian Rudy (47 pen) and Lewis Holtby (81) to bring Germany back on terms.

• That helped the Netherlands progress to the semi-finals behind Group B winners Spain, the Dutch finishing second on six points – one place and three points better off than Germany.

• West Germany beat the Netherlands home (2-0) and away (1-0) on the way to the 1990 U21 quarter-finals, where they lost to the Soviet Union over two legs; Olivier Bierhoff and Stefan Effenberg scored in the home victory in Augsburg.

• The Netherlands had come out on top in qualifying for the 1988 tournament, winning 3-1 in Venlo and 2-0 in Münster, Ron Willems (three goals) and Juul Ellerman (two) both scoring in each game. The Netherlands went on to reach the semi-finals.

• The Netherlands beat Germany 1-0 in a U19 friendly in Yerevan on 17 November 2018. Mitchel Bakker was in the Netherlands' starting line-up with Sven Botman and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp second-half substitutes; Jonathan Burkardt came on for Germany.

• Arne Maier started Germany's 4-1 win against the Netherlands in the European U19 Championship elite round on 27 March 2018. Jordan Teze, Schuurs and substitute Botman featured for the Netherlands.

Form guide

Netherlands
• The Dutch missed out on the last three U21 EURO final tournaments; this is their first appearance since losing to Italy in the 2013 semi-finals.

• That was the Netherlands' fifth semi-final appearance, and their third defeat. They were beaten by Greece in both 1988 (2-5 agg) and 1998 (0-3) but overcame France in 2006 (3-2 aet) and England in 2007 (1-1 aet, 13-12 pens), going on to take the trophy on each occasion.

• Champions in Portugal in 2006 and again on home soil 12 months later, this is the Netherlands' sixth appearance in an eight or 12-team final tournament.

• In the qualifying tournament for the 2019 finals, a team coached by Erwin van de Looi – who has been in charge since May 2018 – finished second behind England in their section.

• This time round, Van de Looi oversaw a near immaculate qualifying campaign, the Dutch finishing as top scorers overall with 46 goals – nine more than any other side – and winning nine of their ten fixtures. A 2-1 defeat by Portugal in their final encounter was not enough to prevent them finishing first in Group 7, above their opponents on head-to-head record.

• In the group stage, the Dutch finished top of Group A in a three-way head-to-head with Germany and eliminated Romania. They drew their first two games 1-1, against Romania and Germany, before a 6-1 victory against co-hosts Hungary sealed progress. The Netherlands' eight group goals were scored by seven different players, with only Cody Gakpo on target twice.

• Boadu's second-half double against France in the quarter-finals has made him the joint top scorer in these finals with three goals, level with four other players including Lukas Nmecha of Germany.

Germany
• Champions in 2009 and 2017, Germany were runners-up to Spain in the 2019 final in Italy, going down 2-1 in Udine having finished first in Group B ahead of Denmark, Austria and Serbia before beating Romania 4-2 in the semi-finals.

• This is the ninth time Germany have qualified for an eight or 12-team final tournament. Aside from their two titles, they were semi-finalists in 2015 and quarter-finalists in 1998. They also reached the last eight in 1990, 1992 and 1996.

• As West Germany, they were runners-up to England in 1982.

• Germany have now reached the semi-finals or better in each of the last four U21 EUROs. Overall this is their sixth U21 semi-final, with the record W4 L1:
1982: Soviet Union W 9-3 aggregate (4-3 away, 5-0 home – as West Germany)
2009: Italy W 1-0
2015: Portugal L 0-5
2017: England W 2-2 (aet, 4-3 pens)
2019: Romania W 4-2

• The 5-0 semi-final loss to Portugal six years ago is Germany's record European U21 Championship defeat.

• Stefan Kuntz – who has been in charge since August 2016, leading the team to that 2017 European triumph – oversaw a 2021 qualifying campaign in which Germany finished five points ahead of runners-up Belgium in Group 9 despite losing home (2-3) and away (1-4) against them. Germany won their other six matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wales and Moldova, including the last three.

• Germany came second in Group A at these finals having finished level on five points in a three-way head-to-head with the Netherlands, who won the section, and eliminated Romania. They won their opening fixture against co-hosts Hungary 3-0 before draws against the Dutch (1-1) and Romania (0-0), Nmecha and Ridle Baku sharing the four goals with two each.

• Nmecha was also on target in the quarter-final against Denmark, his 88th-minute equaliser making it 1-1 and forcing the game into extra time. There Burkardt gave Germany the lead before Denmark forced the shoot-out in which Paul Jaeckel clinched victory by converting Germany's seventh kick, only Burkardt, with the first, having failed from the spot for Kuntz's men.

Links and trivia
• Netherlands coach Van de Looi made seven appearances for Stuttgarter Kickers between January and June 2000.

• Have played together:
Arne Maier & Javairô Dilrosun (Hertha Berlin 2018–20)

• Have played in Germany:
Justin Kluivert (Leipzig 2020–)
Javairô Dilrosun (Hertha Berlin 2018–)

• Brian Brobbey has agreed a deal to join RB Leipzig from Ajax in July.

• Baku scored Wolfsburg's goal in a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at at Hertha Berlin on 1 November 2020 in which Dilrosun appeared as a substitute for the home side.

• Kluivert scored for Leipzig in a 2-2 Bundesliga draw at home to Wolfsburg on 16 May this year; Baku set up one of the visitors' goals.