If this match between two of Europe’s ‘big guns’ doesn’t get you excited, nothing will.
Both teams did just enough to win their first game of the tournament, the Netherlands beating a gritty Poland team 2 – 1 and France beating Austria 1 – 0.
Some punters become disappointed when their selections don’t hammer the opposition 5 – 0 in these early games, but this is what tournament football is all about: do enough to get through the group stages and then concentrate on the knockout rounds.
Netherlands and France both realise that if they don’t win this match, the pressure will be on. Nobody wants to go into the last group game knowing that they must win because if you are one of the big teams in Europe, going home at the end of the group stage just doesn’t bear thinking about.
Odds and Predictions
As you would probably expect, the odds for this game are very tight, with France the favourites at 2.25, the Netherlands at 3.2 and the odds for the draw 3.4.
A high-scoring game is quite possible with these two attacking-minded teams, but our tips are going to start off with the draw at 3.2.
We are very happy with those odds, but we are even happier with the odds of 7.0 for the 1 – 1 draw.
The last one of our predictions for this match is in the ‘anytime goalscorer market’, Cody Gakpo at 4.0.
We were impressed with his performance against Poland, he took his goal very well and we believe he has the capabilities to trouble the French defence.
Comparison and Statistics from Past Meetings between the Teams
The Netherlands and France have played each other head-to-head a total of 30 times in their history.
France has won 16 of these matches, while the Netherlands has won 11, and there have been 3 draws.
The last five H2H matches between the two teams are listed below.
| Past Meetings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 2023 | netherlands | 1-2 | france | UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers |
| 24 Mar 2023 | france | 4-0 | netherlands | UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers |
| 16 Nov 2018 | netherlands | 2-0 | france | UEFA Nations League |
| 09 Sep 2018 | france | 2-1 | netherlands | UEFA Nations League |
| 31 Aug 2017 | france | 4-0 | netherlands | FIFA World Cup Qualifiers |
Expected Line Ups
We have included Kylian Mbappe in this lineup but he must be doubtful after the horrific broken nose he suffered in the match against Austria.
The news coming out of the French camp is that he is not going to have surgery, and a mask will be specially made for him so that he can compete in the rest of the tournament, but will he be fit for this match?
France does have a wealth of talent to replace him, so whatever happens, Virgil van Dijk and his fellow defenders will have their hands full defending against whoever plays up front for Les Bleus.
Netherlands (3-4-3): Andries Noppert; Stefan de Vrij, Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake; Denzel Dumfries, Marten de Roon, Tijjani Reijnders, Daley Blind; Xavi Simons, Donyell Malen, Steven Bergwijn.
France (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Benjamin Pavard, Ibrahima Konate, Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez; Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot; Kingsley Coman, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe; Olivier Giroud.
How Far Will These Teams Progress in the Tournament?
We believe this match will be played out in a strategic manner as opposed to both teams going gung ho!
Whatever the score here, our predictions from the beginning of the tournament are that France and the Netherlands will progress to the knockout stages with a Quarter-final spot nailed on for both of them. The big question is, come July 14th, will we see one of these teams lifting the trophy?
