Lionesses have mountain to climb to repeat 2017 Euros success

The European football championships are a last shot at glory for many veterans of the Dutch team that won the title eight years ago on home turf, but the Lionesses will have to upset the odds in Switzerland to reach those heights again.

The Netherlands have been drawn into the so-called Group of Death with defending champions England and France, both of whom are above them in the world rankings.

It makes their opening match against Wales in Lucerne on Saturday a must-win game if they are to progress to the knockout stages, where they could well come up against Germany – the team that thrashed them 4-0 in the Nations League just five weeks ago.

Spain, who beat Portugal 5-0 in their opening match on Thursday, and England are the pre-tournament favourites, while Germany have returned to form after their shock group-stage exit from the World Cup and Norway and France could be dark horses.

The Dutch head coach Andries Jonker has had his preparations hit by injuries to key players such as Vivianne Miedema and Lineth Beerensteyn in the build-up to the tournament.

He has also struggled to find the right blend of youth and experience as he tries to blood a new generation in his final competition before his contract with the KNVB ends.

All-time top scorer Miedema is still not fully fit after sustaining a hamstring injury in the Dutch team's 3-1 win against Austria in April , on her return to international football after undergoing knee surgery last year.

The 28-year-old Manchester City forward is on the brink of a personal milestone after scoring twice in the Lionesses' final warm-up game against Finland to take her international total to 99.

In her absence the team's hopes of qualifying for the final stages of the Nations League fizzled out with defeat in Germany, followed by a 1-1 draw against Scotland , who claimed their only point of the campaign.

Another boost to the Dutch front line came when Beerensteyn, who scored 17 goals in 20 matches for Wolfsburg last season, was passed fit to start against Wales after missing the match against Scotland through injury.

Daniëlle van de Donk, another player troubled by recurring knee injuries in recent years, is also expected to feature after playing the full 90 minutes against Finland.

The 33-year-old is one of several members of the 2017 championship-winning side in the squad, along with Miedema, 30-year-old Jackie Groenen and record international Sherida Spitse.

Miedema, who was absent from the last World Cup in Australia and New Zealand two years ago because of a cruciate ligament injury, has urged the footballing authorities to cut the workload in the women's game to reflect a high rate of injuries.

“To the people in charge of the football calendar, it is time to realize the current schedule will need to change for players' physical and mental safety,” she told the BBC .

Her club team-mate Jill Roord left Manchester at the end of last season to rejoin Twente after eight years abroad , saying her decision to return to the Eredivisie was partly prompted by the pressure on players in the top leagues.

Most of the Dutch squad now play in top European leagues, a big change from eight years ago, when Miedema, then at Bayern Munich, and Lieke Martens, who had just completed a big-money move to Barcelona, ​​were seen as pioneers.

Van de Donk has just signed for London City Lionesses – formerly Millwall – from French club Lyon, while left-back Esmee Brugts has established herself in Barcelona's first team at the age of 21.

Caitlin Dijkstra and Lynn Wilms were among Beerensteyn's team-mates last season in Wolfsburg, one of the “big two” in Germany along with Bayern. The 19-year-old duo of Wieke Kaptein and Veerle Buurman are under contract with Chelsea, though Buurman spent last season on loan to PSV.

Goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar joined Arsenal, the former club of Van de Donk and Miedema, last year, while her understudy Daniëlle de Jong this week signed a contract with Juventus.

Jonker's main selection puzzle is whether to play the highly promising Buurman in defense or go with the experience of Spitse, who is the most capped player in European football with 244 international appearances.

Manchester City's Kerstin Casparij is likely to start at the back with Dominique Janssen, another veteran of the 2017 squad, while Kaptein could pair with Arsenal's Victoria Pelova in midfield behind Miedema.

Jonker is also expected to confirm Beerensteyn's place in the squad, although the experienced Shanice van de Sanden is on standby, having traveled to Switzerland as a reserve.

The 62-year-old coach said the Netherlands had several promising youngsters such as Kaptein, Buurman and Brugts, but implicitly admitted that the squad lacks the depth to be serious title contenders.

“I think we should be proud of the fact that as a small country we've brought on a number of girls who are already world-class players at a very young age,” he told Het Parool . “If we could find another five of those, we could compete for the top prizes.”

Jonker caused a stir on the eve of the tournament when he told NOS he had considered quitting in January, when the KNVB decided not to extend his contract after the summer. He will be succeeded by Arjan Veurink , currently assistant to England's Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman.

He told the NOS podcast : “If you have to leave, it affects your position with the players and staff. I asked myself straight away what it meant. Would these girls still want to play under this team? That was key.”

Fixtures

Wales v Netherlands, Lucerne, Saturday July 5, 6pm

England v Netherlands, Zurich, Wednesday July 9, 6pm

Netherlands v France, Basel, Sunday July 13, 9pm

Knockout round – Germany, Poland, Denmark or Sweden