HAVING come so close to claiming back-to-back World Cups, it will be interesting to see how France respond when they kick off their Euro 2024 campaign with a clash of the titans against the Netherlands.
A terrible Nations League campaign hinted that the French could be a team in decline but they found their groove again in Qatar and almost justified the faith our man Mark had in them.
Before a ball was kicked, he tipped Didier Deschamps' side to beat Argentina in the final at 40/1 and it almost came to pass, with Lionel Messi and Co edging a thrilling showpiece on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
Beating England 2-1 in the quarter-finals proved France were still Europe's strongest side and they now begin their bid for another Continental crown, having triumphed in 1984 and 2000.
Les Bleus faced a difficult opener on paper, despite the Dutch losing Frenkie De Jong to injury. But a virus has now struck in the Netherlands camp, which will see five players miss out, including Liverpool's Cody Gakpo.
Ronald Koeman is back for a second spell as boss, having taken over from veteran Louis van Gaal after the Netherlands bowed out in the World Cup quarter-finals on penalties to Argentina.
The Dutch and French should both qualify from a relatively easy section that also contains the Republic of Ireland, Greece and Gibraltar. But grabbing top spot would put down a marker ahead of the finals so this opener could set the tone for the qualifying campaign.
How the bookies view it
France were 10/11 at SBK before news of the Dutch virus broke. They are now a best 13/16 with the same firm, which still looks good value. The Netherlands are 4/1 at Unibet while the draw pays 29/10 at Betfair.
Recent head to head
These sides last faced off in the Nations League back in 2018 and it was honours even, with a 2-1 French win in Paris followed by a 2-0 victory for Holland back in Amsterdam. France held the edge before that, though, winning four in a row against the Netherlands.
Players to watch
It's hard to look past Kylian Mbappe for a French goal after his heroics in the World Cup. The PSG star is now Didier Deschamps' captain and will be looking to add to an incredible 36-goal tally this term. Mbappe is 29/20 at William Hill for anytime scorer and the odds increase to 4/1 at Bet365 if you back him to break the deadlock.
The Dutch leaned heavily on Gakpo at the World Cup so his virus is a major blow. PSV kid Xavi Simons could deputise and he's 7/1 at Unibet to score.
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither side impressed in defence at the World Cup, with France keeping just one clean sheet and the Dutch only managing to shut out Qatar and Senegal in their five outings. Deschamps is also missing William Saliba and Wesley Fofana due to injury while Raphael Varane has retired from international football so BTTS looks likely at 11/12 with SBK. Over 2.5 goals also appeals and that pays 27/25 at Unibet.
We've seen 10 or more corners in three of the last four meetings so that makes over nine corners worth a look at 11/10 with Bet365. The same firm also price Denzel Dumfries at 10/3 for a card and that could be worth a punt with Mbappe looking to run riot down the left flank.
This Euro 2024 match between France and Netherlands will be played on Mar 24, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best France vs Netherlands prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
