Match: Netherlands v France
Date: 10 October, Monday
Time: 2:45am SGT (Tuesday)/12:15am IST (Tuesday)/7:45pm BST
Venue: Amsterdam Arena
Competition: 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier
TV Coverage: In Singapore, the TV coverage of the clash between Netherlands and France will be on Eleven.
Overview
Netherlands host France in the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier at the Amsterdam Arena on 10 October.
The hosts began their qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Sweden last month. However, a 4-1 win against Belarus on Friday sparked hopes among the team, who had failed to qualify for the 2016 European Championship.
Head coach Danny Blind will be without the service of skipper Wesley Sneijder for Monday's clash after he suffered a hamstring injury during the game against Belarus. Feyenoord striker Tonny Vilhena was called in as replacement for the side.
With the absence of injured Arjen Robben and snubbed star Robin van Persie, Netherlands have come up with a new-look, young squad, who will be facing one of their biggest test at home. A lot of will depend on defender Stefan de Vrij, who is likely to play at the heart of the backline.
Blind will be banking on Quincy Promes and Tottenham's Vincent Janssen, who have been impressive and starred in their side's win on Friday, to deliver the good up front against France. Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum will be a key figure in the Dutch setup.
Ahead of the most crucial match of the group, Blind conceded France are a strong opposition but was quick to point out the flaws in Didier Deschamps' side. He added he would want his side to keep the good work they have been doing in the ongoing campaign.
"France are a tough opponent. Those guys are used to playing top matches every week. They also have their defects. They sometimes give away areas where we can use," Blind was quoted as saying by the ESPN.
"We started well against Sweden, only the result (1-1) was disappointing, and the good feeling about that game we brought to the game with Belarus (4-1). Now I want to do the same in that third game and, at the least, not lose."
Meanwhile, the 2016 European Championship finalists survived a scare against Bulgaria at home on Friday after conceding an early goal. However, a brace from Kevin Gameiro and strikes from Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet made sure the hosts collected full three points. The win came as a relief for Les Blues, who played a 0-0 draw against Belarus in their campaign opener.
However, Deschamps was not completely satisfied with the performance of his star midfielder Paul Pogba and he would want the Manchester United star to come up with a strong show at the Amsterdam Arena. A win on Monday would give France the early advantage in the group before they take on Sweden in the group.
TV Schedule
US: Fox Sports
UK: ITV 4
India: Sony Six
Singapore: Eleven
Japan: Fuji TV Next
France: RTL Nitro
Bangladesh: Sony Six
Bhutan: Sony Six
Team News
Netherlands
Possible XI: Maarten Stekelenburg; Rick Karsdorp, Daley Blind, Stefan De Vrij, Jeffrey Bruma, Virgil van Dijk; Kevin Strootman, Klaassen, Georginio Wijnaldum; Quincy Promes, Vincent Janssen
France
Possible XI: Hugo Lloris, Djibril Sidibe, Layvin Kurzawa, Raphael Varane, Laurent Koscielny; Dimitri Payet, Blaise Matuidi, Paul Pogba, Moussa Sissoko; Antoine Griezmann, Kevin Gameiro
