Netherlands v Malta

• Malta have only picked up one point across their last 11 qualifying matches. 

• Netherlands won their opening game of qualifying against Finland last time out (2-0).

• There are 163 places between these sides in the FIFA World Rankings.

The Netherlands host Malta on Tuesday night and are heavy favourites to pick up all three points. They look to close the gap to Poland who have won both of their opening qualifying games. This group looks set up for a straight battle between Poland and the Netherlands for top spot.

Malta have managed to pick up a point across their three qualifying games so far, which is a pretty solid record for a side ranked 169th in the world. This point did come against Lithuania, who aren’t too much further ahead of Malta in the world rankings (143).

⭐ Netherlands v Malta Predictions and Best Bets

It’s impossible not to back the Netherlands to come out on top here. There is an obvious gap in quality between the sides, which is evident in the world rankings (6-169). 

The Netherlands have performed valiantly in recent years under Ronald Koeman, with their run to semi semi-finals of the European Championships last summer being their most notable achievement. They will feel as if they can top the group given their quality advantage over the rest of the teams in Group G.

Malta haven’t fared too well when facing up against Europe’s elite in recent years, with heavy defeats to Italy and England in that period. The Netherlands and Ronald Koeman should be the latest team to put Malta to the sword. There’s not much value in the win markets for the Netherlands, given that they’re strong favourites, so the handicap and to win to nil markets should be considered.

🟠 Netherlands Look to Build Momentum in Qualifying

The Netherlands have won their only game in qualifying so far with a comfortable 2-0 win over Finland away from home. They have quite a fortunate group with two sides ranked outside the top 100 teams in the FIFA world rankings, leaving Netherlands, Poland and Finland to battle it out for the qualifying spots.

The Netherlands do have some catching up to do as the rest of the sides in the group have played at least one more game than Ronald Koeman’s side due to their involvement in the Nations League. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue for the Netherlands, given the level of opposition that they’ll be lining up against.

Netherlands had a promising Nations League campaign, finishing second in their group behind Germany and only losing one of their six games in the group stages before taking Spain to extra time in the knockout phase. Netherlands scored 13 goals across their six group games, which indicates that they can be free-scoring, especially against a side like Malta.

⚪ Struggling Malta Face Toughest Test Yet in Group G

Malta have struggled so far in Group G and this will be their biggest challenge yet. They haven't scored a goal across their three qualifying games so far and have only managed to claim a point from these games, which came against fellow minnows in Lithuania.

Malta competed in the Nations League D and finished second in a three-team group, with Moldova pipping them to top spot. They only managed to score two goals across those four fixtures, but their only wins since 2023 did come in the Nations League. 

Malta lost all eight games in attempting to qualify for the European Championships last summer, so in a way, they’ve already improved on that performance as they have managed to pick up a point in qualifying early on. They conceded 20 goals in that qualifying group and only scored twice.

📊 Netherlands v Malta Head-to-Head Key Stats

This will be the first ever meeting between these nations.

Football Predictions at Andy's Bet Club

Andy's Bet Club is packed full of Expert Football Tips and World Cup 2026 Tips, we also have an easy-to-use Bet Builder Stats tool to help you conduct your own research. Look out for the latest Gem Bets and Club World Cup Predictions on ABC this week.

For Tuesday's slate, we also have a Goals Algorithm Accumulator, England v Senegal Betting Predictions, and England v Senegal Bet Builder Tips, as well as Quick Preview coverage for Finland v Poland, Romania v Cyprus, Latvia v Albania, and Serbia v Andorra.

When backing our tips, you'll want to be doing so on the Top Bet Builder Sites and Best UK Sports Betting Sites. We also track the best offers, such as the Paddy Power Sign Up Offer and Betfair Sign Up Offer. There's a list of the latest New Bookmaker Offers here.

* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.