Euro 2024: Netherlands x France, Match Preview, Odds and Predictions(21/06/2024)

Group D giants fighting headlines Friday's Euro 2024 matches will see France and the Netherlands square off to ensure a spot in the final 16.

In their first game, Ronald Koeman's side rallied from a goal down to defeat Poland 2-1. Les Bleus also managed a close victory against Austria, but one that was tainted by an injury to their leading man.

Netherlands x France Team News

With Brian Brobbey back in training with the squad after missing the hard-fought victory against Poland due to a hamstring issue, Koeman should have every player at his disposal.

The only little problem for the Oranje manager may be in midfield, where Joey Veerman's yellow card from Sunday means he will be suspended for one game if he gets booked tonight. But Koeman shouldn't consider such hypotheticals for an important match.

Weghorst's chances of starting have not entirely disappeared thanks to his late heroics over the weekend, but Depay, who is five goals short of matching Robin van Persie's record 50 goals for the men's squad, should continue to fend off his teammate for the time being.

Regarding offensive dilemmas, Bleus supporters have been waiting impatiently for word on Mbappe, who was left with a bloodied shirt and nose during the Danso incident. However, the former Paris Saint-Germain striker may still play in the tournament's latter rounds while wearing a mask.

Though Mbappe has been suffering from minor groin soreness, nothing that should affect his availability, French media have stated that he will have to miss Friday's crucial match. Deschamps is anticipated to turn upon record goalscorer Olivier Giroud to cover the vacuum.

N'Golo Kante, who turned back the years against Austria with an industrious midfield effort, should be given the all-clear to play, but Eduardo Camavinga (ankle) and his Real Madrid colleague Aurelien Tchouameni (foot).

Head To Head And Previous Matches

With only 16 minutes remaining in their Group D opening, Poland's prospects of shocking the Netherlands were not harmed by the absence of outstanding marksman Robert Lewandowski, as his adequate replacement, Adam Buksa, flicked a fantastic header into the far corner.

But the Netherlands answered in only 13 minutes when Cody Gakpo's deflected attempt fooled Wojciech Szczesny. And with just seven minutes of regular time left, Wout Weghorst penned his hero arc with a thundering low finish to seal the Dutch comeback.

More than anything, Koeman was happy to see his audacious tactical choice pay off. The former Barcelona manager acknowledged that he considered starting Memphis Depay behind Weghorst. Still, in the end he replaced the former Manchester United flop with the latter, whose winner helped Oranje reach the top of Group D.

Leading the way over France, thanks to their better goals scored total, a win on Friday would ensure that the Netherlands finish in the top two. It would also be their fourth consecutive win after 4-0 friendly thrashings of Canada and Iceland in their warm-up games.

Koeman's side is a genuine contender for Euro 2024 success, as shown by the 2-1 friendly loss to Germany in March, but their next opponents have their number in qualifying.

France easily defeated Oranje 4-0 at home and also managed a 2-1 win in the preliminary round, giving Didier Deschamps's team history on their side this week before they were swiftly reunited with their Dutch opponents in the same finals division.

Like the Netherlands, Les Bleus worked hard to win their first game of the competition, 1-0 against a strong Austria, thanks to Maximilian Wober's own goal. Had Kylian Mbappe not turned down a fantastic one-on-one, they might have surpassed Oranje in the first place.

Although the Real Madrid rookie could not score then, he caused a significant alarm when he struck Kevin Danso in the face, breaking his nose and getting a yellow card. He then returned to the field without permission during a ridiculous substitution.

But if second-placed France wins on Friday, thanks to Mbappe's assist for Wober's own goal, they will also advance to the round of sixteen. Deschamps's team has shown a solid defensive performance when it counts, having kept three clean sheets in succession.

Although Oranje won their last two Euro finals, including a 4-1 demolition in the 2008 group phase, France followed the established pattern between the two nations by winning the double over the Netherlands in qualifying.

Our Predictions

Full-time draw @3.45 on Sky247.ng

Given that France chose the Austrian lock because of Mbappe's lightning-fast burst of speed, his anticipated absence deprives Les Bleus of their X-factor for Friday's titanic match, when defences may prevail.

Deschamps's defence is one of the hardest to breach right now, even if the Netherlands have scored freely for most of the last year. This blockbuster may quickly conclude without the net bulging once.

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