World Cup runners-up France will take to the field for the first time since their heart-breaking final loss to Argentina when they face the Netherlands in Paris on Friday.
Didier Deschamps' side could have hardly asked for more difficult opposition in their UEFA Euro 2024 qualification opener against the Oranje, who were eliminated by Argentina on penalties at the quarterfinal stage in Qatar.
With stars such as Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay in their lineup, the visitors could cause the opposition a lot of hassle here despite the fact that the bookmakers have made France clear favourites. Returning head coach Ronald Koeman will also be desperate to make a flying start to his second stint in charge.
Below, we take a look at where best to find value in Friday's massive clash.
MORE: Dates and full schedule for Euro 2024 in Germany
France vs Netherlands odds
As mentioned, the bookmakers are expecting nothing less than a France win here. We'd tend to agree given Les Bleus' run to the World Cup final in December that saw them lose out to Argentina in dramatic fashion.
That run to the showpiece final highlighted everything you need to know about France. They remain one of the best international sides in the world, blessed with some of the greatest players of this generation, including star Kylian Mbappe.
That said, behind the fantastic goalscoring form that saw them net 17 goals in seven World Cup matches, the hosts continue to look susceptible at the other end, as highlighted by their return of just one clean sheet across that tournament.
The Netherlands will prove very tough opposition as well, and +320 with BetMGM seems really nice value. Don't expect the Dutch to turn up and put France to the sword by any measure but a smash-and-grab away win here is far from an unrealistic result.
| France win | Draw | Netherlands win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | FRA | NED +0.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) | -122 | +270 | +320 | -118 / -120 | -111 / -130 | -133 | -108 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | 1.73 | 3.58 | 4.09 | 1.81 / 1.79 | 1.94 / 1.77 | 1.80 | 1.95 |
| SkyBet (UK) | 3/4 | 13/5 | 15/4 | 4/5, 10/11 | 10/11, 4/5 | — | — |
| Neds (Australia) | 1.75 | 3.50 | 4.60 | 1.83 / 1.91 | 1.92 / 1.82 | — | — |
| Dafabet (India) | 1.87 | 3.80 | 4.30 | 1.91 / 1.90 | 2.03 / 1.85 | 1.79 | 2.12 |
France vs Netherlands: 3 things to know
France vs Netherlands match facts
- Date: Friday, March 24
- Kickoff Time: 3:45 p.m. ET / 7:45 p.m. GMT / 6:45 a.m. AEDT (Sat, March 25)
- Location: Stade de France (Paris, France)
- Official: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
- Last meeting: Netherlands 2-0 France (UEFA Nations League — November 16, 2018)
France vs Netherlands team news
France have been dealt two defensive blows as William Saliba and Wesley Fofana, who were both selected by Deschamps for this international break, have both been forced to withdraw from the squad through injury. In their places, Moncao's Axel Disasi and Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo come in.
Just like their hosts here, the Netherlands have been dealt a pair of big injury setbacks. That's because key midfielder Frenkie de Jong and forward Steven Bergwijn have pulled out of the squad this international break due to late injuries. The visitors have also since been hit by a sickness bug which has forced Cody Gakpo, Matthijs de Ligt, Joey Veerman, Sven Botman and Bart Verbruggen all to leave the group. Their replacements come in the form of Stefan de Vrij, Ryan Gravenberch and Kjell Scherpen. Inter Milan full-back Denzel Dumfries is suspended for this match.
France vs Netherlands key stats
- France have won all three of their prior home competitive internationals against the Netherlands, scoring twice or more on each occasion.
- Returning coach Ronald Koeman won 11 of his 20 matches in charge of the Netherlands, scoring 42 goals in the process. He was in the role for the last competitive meeting, which the Oranje won 2-0 five years ago.
- The Netherlands have scored at least one goal in all 20 of their most recent international matches.
France vs Netherlands prediction
- Moneyline lean: Draw (+240)
- Against the spread lean: France -0.5 (-133)
- Score prediction: France 2-1 Netherlands
Although the Netherlands showcased their marked improvement at the 2022 World Cup, we're expecting France to prove just too tough to handle here for the visitors.
With Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud in the squad, the French attacking firepower can down any international side on their day especially after their recent World Cup showing in front of goal.
The Netherlands are also without a key figure in De Jong which could prove detrimental to their efforts here. We think they'll get on the scoresheet but they'll need to put in a top-drawer performance to take anything away from Paris in this opening qualifying matchup.
France vs Netherlands: best bet
- Pick: Both teams to score
- Odds: -118 (BetMGM)
Given that France are missing both Saliba and Fofana through injury, they could be vulnerable to the Netherlands attacking line, which has continued to fire on all cylinders across recent matches.
The visitors have scored at least one goal in each of their past 20 outings — including friendlies — and with the French backline looking weaker than usual, we expect them to find the back of the net again here. Additionally, the last time the Dutch were kept off the scoresheet away from home came all the way back in October 2020.
France too should find the net here, even if they were shut out by Tunisia at the World Cup just five matches ago. Surprisingly, that blank wasn't too much of an uncommon occurrence as Deschamps' side were also kept off the scoreline in two of their three matches before the World Cup.
That said, however, their previous four outings have since seen them hit 10 goals against difficult opposition, including five across games against Argentina and England.
France vs Netherlands: flier bet
- Pick: Kylian Mbappe to score first
- Odds: 7/2 (SkyBet)
This is hardly much of a 'flier bet', but at 7/2 with SkyBet, there's actually a fair amount of value to be had here.
France are blessed with attacking options in particular — especially the underrated Giroud — but it's difficult to look past Mbappe scoring the game's opener in this clash.
The PSG star shone at the World Cup, netting eight goals across seven matches, including a famous hat-trick in the final. That was his last match in a French shirt and we're expecting him to continue that form into this clash.
On top of that, Mbappe has scored twice against the Dutch across three head-to-head matches, one of which came as a match-opening strike. With the forward reportedly having been made France's new captain following the retirement of Hugo Lloris, he will be eager to impress.
