When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups?
Netherlands and France meet in their Second Group D match at UEFA EURO 2024.
Netherlands and France at a glance
When: Saturday 22 June (03:00 GMT+8 kick-off)
Where: Leipzig Stadium
What: UEFA EURO 2024 Group D Matchday 2
What do you need to know?
France come into this battle of the Group D titans with recent history very much in their favour; they have won seven of the teams’ last eight encounters, including both of their meetings in qualifying. Given the injury problems that beset Ronald Koeman’s men during the European Qualifiers, the Oranje had some excuse. They have had similar issues to contend with here in Germany, midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners both withdrawn from the squad on the eve of the finals.
However, they still made a positive start, overcoming a Robert Lewandowski-less Poland 2-1 in their opener, a game in which they might well have scored more. France, meanwhile, have concerns over Kylian Mbappé, who suffered a broken nose in their 1-0 win against Austria. A notable positive in that contest was N’Golo Kanté, the midfield factotum earning plaudits and a Player of the Match trophy for his efforts. The Netherlands have great players up front, yet the challenge may be ensuring that they see enough of the ball to create chances.
Possible line-ups
Netherlands: Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Aké; Reijnders, Schouten, Veerman; Simons, Depay, Gakpo
France: Maignan; Koundé, Saliba, Upamecano, Hernández; Griezmann, Kanté, Rabiot; Dembélé, Giroud, Thuram
Form guide
Netherlands:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWWLWW
France:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WDWWLD
Expert predictions
Derek Brookman, Netherlands reporter
The Oranje created plenty of chances against Poland but ultimately needed the late intervention of substitute Wout Weghorst to take all three points. Still, Ronald Koeman is unlikely to tinker with his starting line-up for this crunch contest with the French. There is strength-in-depth in this Netherlands squad – the entire front three were replaced during Sunday’s match – so there is certainly scope for adjustments should things not go to plan against the World Cup runners-up.
Alex Clementson, France reporter
Fresh from a hard-fought win against an astute Austrian team, the French face familiar foes in the Dutch, but the omens are positive; Les Bleus have beaten the Netherlands on seven occasions under Didier Deschamps’ stewardship, meaning more wins against the Oranje than against any other side during his tenure. There is one huge caveat, however: Kylian Mbappé’s likely absence. The skipper and talisman would leave a huge void, albeit there’s a sufficient abundance of attacking talent in the French ranks to pose Ronald Koeman’s team plenty of problems.
What the coaches say
Ronald Koeman, Netherlands coach: “It should have been 4-1 to us after an hour [against Poland]. We played very well but were not able to find the net. If we had taken our chances, you would have said we were at the same level as Germany. [Not converting our chances] made things dangerous for us, but we got lucky and scored a second. So even though the performance wasn’t 100% good, the end result boosted our confidence.”
Didier Deschamps, France coach: “We’ve got the quality and talent, but there are a lot of teams that have that. At the highest level, there’s a need to be solid and to work hard together. We did that this evening, those that started, those that came off the bench. Everyone is progressing, and there’s a common denominator between all these matches: the athletic intensity being at the very highest level.”