Netherlands first fixture of 2016 sees the Oranje take on France in the Amsterdam Arena.
- Follow Football-Oranje on Twitter
After the failure to reach Euro 2016, Netherlands begin their preparation for the World Cup qualifiers later this year with a friendly against France, who will be part of their group for the 2018 qualifiers.
This tie, along with the friendly with England next week, allows boss Danny Blind the opportunity to experiment with his side and give opportunity’s to the new generation of talents, including Vincent Janssen, Timo Letschert and Rick Karsdorp, who are all in line for their debuts.
Being played a day after the death of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, the stadium will fall silent on the fourteenth minute of the tie as the Amsterdam Arena pays tribute to the former Ajax and Barcelona superstar.
Team News
According to De Telegraaf, Blind is set to continue with a 5-3-2 formation, with Luuk de Jong and Quincy Promes set to start in the attacking positions. Joel Veltman is expected to get the nod at right back, while Daley Blind continues his season as a central defender. Janssen, Letschert, and Karsdorp should all start on the bench.
Possible Netherlands line up: Cillessen; Veltman, Bruma, Van Dijk, Blind, Willems; Clasie, Klaassen, Sneijder; Promes, De Jong
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is out of the tie in Amsterdam, along with Morgan Schneiderlin, Geoffrey Kondogbia, and Alexandre Lacazette, who were all left out of the squad. Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante could be in line for his debut.
Possible France line up: Lloris, Jallet, Evra, Koscielny, Varane, Pogba, Matuidi, Cabaye, Griezmann, Martial, Giroud
Past meetings
Netherlands and France have met on 23 occasions, and are locked on ten wins each. France came out on top in their last meeting in 2014 with a 2-0 win in Paris.
Netherlands haven’t beaten France in a friendly match since 1963. There last victory over the French came in the 2008 Euros, with Marco van Basten’s side running out 4-1 winners.
Follow
Follow @Footballoranje_ on Twitter
