The Netherlands and France will aim to continue the perfect start to their UEFA Euro 2024 campaigns when they meet at the Red Bull Arena on Friday.
Matchday 2 of the UEFA Euro 2024 continues on Friday, with the action on the day culminating with a blockbuster fixture. The Netherlands and France will lock horns at the Red Bull Arena Leipzig, with both teams aiming to reach the round of 16.
The Netherlands and France were in the same group in the UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers. Les Bleus finished atop the standings after an unbeaten campaign, with only Greece taking points off them. On the other hand, the Oranje lost both meetings with France to finish a distant second.
Their top-two finish took both teams to the UEFA Euro 2024 finals. Meanwhile, the Netherlands have been in fine form since Ronald Koeman returned to the dugout, although they have lost five times. They have picked up a defeat in only one of their last eight games. As for France, they are on a four-match unbeaten run, losing only one of the nine most recent encounters.
The most recent clash featuring the Netherlands and France ended in a 2-1 win for Les Bleus, with Quilindschy Hartman scoring the consolation goal. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Netherlands
Ronald Koeman has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against France on Friday, the Netherlands’ head coach will have a full-strength squad, with one player resuming training.
Brian Brobbey was unavailable for the campaign-opening fixture against Poland due to a hamstring injury. However, he has regained his fitness and will be in contention to feature against France on Friday.
Bart Verbruggen will likely take his spot between the sticks, with the Netherlands lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against France. The backline should feature Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij, Virgil van Dijk, and Nathan Ake.
As for the midfield unit, Koeman is without star midfielders like Frenkie de Jong, Marten de Roon, and Teun Koopmeiners. However, Jerdy Schouten and Joey Veerman will form a solid partnership in the middle of the park. Tijjani Reijnders will reprise the no. 10 role, with Xavi Simons, Cody Gakpo, and Memphis Depay completing the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Dumfries, de Vrij, van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Veerman; Simons, Reijnders, Gakpo; Depay
France
Unlike his counterpart in the Dutch dugout, Didier Deschamps has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Red Bull Arena Leipzig. France’s head coach might be without one first-team player on Friday.
The newly-announced Real Madrid attacker suffered a broken nose in the UEFA Euro 2024 campaign-opening fixture against Austria. While the good news is he should be available for the knockout phase, France’s captain will miss out against the Netherlands on Friday.
Mbappe’s absence means Olivier Giroud should return to the starting eleven, joining Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, and Marcus Thuram in the offensive quartet. Meanwhile, France will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against the Netherlands, with Mike Maignan taking his spot between the sticks.
The backline should feature Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, and Theo Hernandez. Hernandez, in particular, will carry a significant threat in the final third with his progressive carries and dangerous deliveries. Finally, N’Golo Kante and Adrien Rabiot will complete the numbers in the team by pairing up in the double pivot in the middle of the park.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, Hernandez; Kante, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Thuram; Giroud
Key Stats
- Friday’s match will be the fourth meeting between the Netherlands and France at the Euros. France prevailed on penalties in the quarter-finals in 1996, whilst the Netherlands won both of their group-stage encounters (3-2 in 2000, 4-1 in 2008).
- France have won seven of their last eight matches against the Netherlands across all competitions, the exception being a 2-0 loss in the UEFA Nations League in November 2018. Only four of the previous 30 matches between the Netherlands and France have ended in a draw (15 wins for France, 11 wins for the Netherlands).
- Excluding penalty shootouts, the Netherlands have lost just one of their last 17 games at major international tournaments (World Cup/Euros), going down 2-0 against Czechia in Euro 2020 (W12 D4). They had lost four in a row before this run (3 games at Euro 2012 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup final).
- France can win their opening two matches at a UEFA European Championship for a fourth time. On each of the previous three occasions they have done so, they have gone on to reach the final: in 1984, 2000 and 2016.
- The Netherlands are Kylian Mbappe’s favourite opponent. He has scored six goals in five matches against the Dutch, more than against any other side in his international career with France. His first-ever goal for Les Bleus came against the Netherlands in August 2017.
Player to Watch
Cody Gakpo
Cody Gakpo is a completely different player on the international stage compared to his travails at the club level. While he blew hot and cold for Liverpool, the Dutch attacker usually delivers the goods more often than not for the Netherlands.
Gakpo has scored in all four of his starts for the Netherlands in the group stages of major tournaments (World Cup/Euros). In all competitions, the Liverpool forward has been involved in six goals in his last eight appearances for the Oranje (four goals, two assists). Expect the 25-year-old to turn up again on Friday.
Prediction
Netherlands 1-1 France
Both teams were sub-par on Matchday 1 but still managed one-goal victories to go to the top of the standings in their group. However, the Netherlands will look to pounce if Kylian Mbappe cannot make it to the starting eleven at the Red Bull Arena Leipzig. France should still have a better chance to win even if Mbappe cannot face his favourite opponent on Friday.
Didier Deschamps has a stacked squad, which should produce a myriad of chances in the final third. However, Virgil van Dijk will shore up the Dutch defence to ensure the two teams do not have much separating them. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the Netherlands and France.