(Football news) Oranje is six points behind their next opponents, even though they still have a game in hand, while Les Bleus has dominated the opposition thus far, taking 15 points out of a possible 15.
Prior to October’s internationals, the Netherlands have played one fewer game than their rivals in Group B of the Euro 2024 qualifying tournament due to their unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Nations League finals, where defeats to Croatia and Italy made it four losses from five for Ronald Koeman’s struggling team.
Last month, however, the Netherlands rekindled their bid for a top-two finish by winning back-to-back games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland, scoring five goals and giving up just one in the process. This was sparked by Oranje’s inability to make it onto the podium in the Nations League.
Koeman’s team overcame an early deficit against the Irish, who broke the tie five minutes in with a penalty from Adam Idah. However, Cody Gakpo’s own 12-yard conversion and Wout Weghorst’s goal in the second half allowed Koeman’s team to win three games against Greece without a response.
No matter what happens on Friday, the second-place Dutch will not automatically qualify, but if Ireland can win their next match against Greece and earn at least a point against France, that would be enough. The Dutch take on Greece on Monday.
Oranje has won its past four home qualification matches, scoring at least three goals in each case. The Netherlands’ Euro 2024 qualifying matches have been played in a number of venues, including the Johan Cruyff Arena, the Philips Stadion, and De Kuip.
Before facing a non-threatening friendly loss to Germany, the host country for the following year, France maintained their perfect defensive record and unblemished start to qualifying Group B by scoring two goals past the Republic of Ireland without answering.
Didier Deschamps’s team is in danger of qualifying for the 2024 Finals with a sixth straight victory in Amsterdam this week, but even a draw would guarantee a spot if Greece loses to Ireland. Aurelien Tchouameni’s thunderbolt and Marcus Thuram’s first goal for his nation put them in the lead.
Given their September humiliation, which France suffered in a 2-1 loss to Germany five days after defeating the Irish, the Boys in Green might be reluctant to hand Les Bleus any favors. Meanwhile, Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane had an ideal start to the post-Hansi Flick era.
The setback to Die Mannschaft was France’s first since the memorable World Cup final in December, but they are still unbeaten in 12 games at this point in Euro 2024 qualifying—the other being Portugal—and are just one of two teams without a defeat. Their last defeat came in a 2-0 loss to Turkey in June 2019.
March saw the Netherlands and France begin their Euro 2024 qualifying campaigns, but it was a miserable affair for the Dutch as Les Bleus, who have six victories from their previous seven encounters with Oranje during an extended period of international supremacy, thrashed them 4-0.
Also read: Portugal to face Slovakia in the Nations League
