Great Britain v Netherlands men’s Olympic hockey betting is the semi final showdown to look forward to. Team GB cut things pretty close in their group, almost blowing their lines in a pretty tough group. They started strongly with wins over Argentina and a Pakistan, but there was a disappointing draw against South Africa wedged in between those results, which could have cost them dearly. That is because in their penultimate match they had to go up against group leaders and tournament favourites Australia, which meant that Spain and Pakistan could close the gap on the Brits. Against the Aussies, Great Britain fell behind 3-0 in the match, but then staged a remarkable comeback. Goals from Clarke, Middleton and Tindall gave Team GB a rousing recovery to steal a point away from the Australians. That was a massive point in the end, because when it came down to their final group match, against Spain, all that Britain needed was a point in order to qualify for the semi finals. It was a point they got, just about, as Spain fiercely contested a penalty goal decision which they thought should have stood as a goal. If it had, then Spain would have qualified at the expense of Great Britain.
So, Team GB get their bite at trying to get their hands on a hockey medal, but they will be underdogs. While they remained undefeated in their group stage, showing some good resilience at times as well through their matches, they have to face up to the Netherlands. Holland went their their group stage winning five matches from five and scoring 18 goals along the way. That is the power which they possess and they have looked relatively untroubled in their progress and will start the semi final as a firm favourites over Great Britain. The Netherlands can produce a very controlled and powerful game and it is likely that Team GB will be on the back foot for most of the game, trying to chase possession. So they will need some of that steel in order to try and grab an unlikely win here. Their star striker Ashley Jackson will be needed to snap up any of the limited chances which will come their way.
Great Britain v Netherlands men’s Olympic hockey betting odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Netherlands Evens, Great Britain 2/1, Draw 10/3
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