Micky van de Ven made a confident claim ahead of the Netherlands’ upcoming clash against England in the Euro 2024 semi-final.
The Tottenham Hotspur centre-back, who came on for Nathan Ake as a late substitute in his side’s 2-1 win against Turkey is expected to be on the bench.
The £41 million man, who has been Ronald Koeman’s go-to man at left-back seems likely to start.
So far, Ake has been one of the Netherlands’ best players at the ongoing European Championship.
Micky van de Ven predicts how Nathan Ake will fare against Bukayo Saka
However, the 29-year-old will have the challenge of taming Bukayo Saka — who is coming off the back of a splendid display for England as they beat Switzerland on penalties in Saturday’s knockout fixture.
More often than not, the 22-year-old can wreak havoc even some of the best left-backs in world football.
A standout example is the Englishman’s electric display against Luke Shaw in Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in the 2022/2023 season — where he scored a phenomenal equaliser.
However, Van de Ven is confident that Ake can tame Saka when they go toe-to-toe with each other on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old said via HaytersTV: “Bukayo Saka is a good player with pace but Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake have a lot of pace too and I am sure they can handle him.”
Netherlands camp should feel confident about Ake facing England star Saka
Van de Ven makes a fair point as previously, Ake has fared extremely well against Saka.
Notable examples emerged in the last two seasons, when the pair met each other in City’s 1-0 win against Arsenal in the FA Cup during the 2022/2023 campaign and in the 0-0 draw between both sides at the Etihad Stadium.
Ake is an expert at dealing with wingers in one-v-one situations — with his strength, searing pace, incredible athleticism and intelligence to close the angles down for wingers to exploit making him a true specialist.
With how much experience the versatile centre-back has under his belt, the Netherlands camp should back him to give Saka a tough time.
