An injury-depleted Netherlands squad take on group leaders France at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Friday night.

Les Bleus are currently top of the group on fifteen points while the Netherlands and Greece are second and third, respectively, on nine points each. However, the Oranje do have a game in hand and a superior head-to-head on Greece, so they'll be looking to secure second spot in qualifying Group B.

France destroyed the Netherlands 4-0 with a first-half blitzkrieg featuring three goals in the opening 21 minutes as well as a late Kylian Mbappe strike.

Since the Netherlands stunned France 4-1 at the 2008 European Championship, Oranje have only beaten the Blues once, with France winning six of their last seven meetings (including friendly matches). That was during Ronald Koeman's first spell as the Netherlands boss - a 2-0 home victory in the Nations League group stage in November 2018.

Netherlands Betting Preview (+212 at MyBookie)

The Netherlands had a disappointing UEFA Nations League Finals campaign this summer, as the host nation, when the Oranje suffered back-to-back defeats to Croatia and Italy to eventually finish fourth.

Things looked better for the Netherlands after the last international break but these two games are make or break for Ronald Koeman's men. The Oranje are set for a crucial week as the Netherlands will also travel to face Greece on Monday night.

Ronald Koeman's side claimed an important 2-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in their last qualifying match. They conceded an early goal but still managed to complete a comeback with goals from Cody Gakpo and half-time substitute Wout Weghorst.

With Mark Flekken and Justin Bijlow both injured, Andries Noppert should start in goal. The Heerenveen goalkeeper made his Netherlands debut at last year's World Cup and started all games in Qatar.

In addition to the injured goalkeepers, Ronald Koeman has a lengthy injury list that also includes playmaker Frenkie de Jong, as well as the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Jurrien Timber, Teun Koopmeiners, Cody Gakpo, Memphis Depay, Noa Lang and Steven Berghuis.

Enjoying a solid first season in the Premier League so far, Micky van de Ven will be pushing for his Netherlands debut, though Ronald Koeman will hardly make any significant changes in such a big game.

During his press-conference earlier this week Ronald Koeman himself stated: “I believe that we can get a result against France on Friday. Of course, the match against Greece is even more important, but everything you achieve against France can also make it easier afterward."

It remains to be seen whether veteran Daley Blind will keep his starting spot at left wing-back or either of Quilindschy Hartman or Ian Maatsen could be handed their debut.

Up front, Bundesliga stars Xavi Simons and Donyell Malen are set to lead the line for the Netherlands. However, the pair have both failed to score in their last five appearances, since September 16^th, when either of them scored in their club's first game after the September international break.

Tijjani Reijnders made his Netherlands debut against Greece last month. The AC Milan midfielder quickly established himself as an important first-team player since he joined the Serie A giants this summer, and given the injury crisis, he now hopes to get his first international start for the Netherlands.

France Betting Preview (+126 at MyBookie)

Les Bleus maintain a perfect record in the Euro 2024 Qualifications and they can book their tickets to Germany with a positive score in Amsterdam. Not that someone questions France's Euro 2024 spot even if they fail to win points here, but the World Cup finalists can do it in style.

France will surely enter next summer's Euros as one of the top contenders to win the title - something they failed to accomplish on home soil in 2016.

Meanwhile, Didier Deschamps' men suffered a 2-1 friendly loss at the hands of Germany last month, but we expect to see their real face here.

Olivier Giroud should lead the line for France, with the veteran, who recently celebrated his 37^th birthday, aging like fine wine. Indeed, Giroud has been directly involved in seven goals in as many Serie A appearances this term (four goals and three assists). Moreover, he's already been recognized for his goalkeeping ability as Giroud has been named in Serie A's latest team of the week as a goalkeeper for his heroics against Genoa on Saturday night.

Kylian Mbappe netted a brace in the 4-0 victory over the Netherlands at the Stade de France in March and the PSG forward is France's top goalscorer in the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with four goals to his name.

Mbappe has failed to score in his last four matches for Paris Saint-Germain but we all know he has the ability to perform much better.

Didier Deschamps needs to tinker with his own selection concerns, especially at the back, with a number of injured players ahead of the international break. The likes of William Saliba, Axel Disasi, Jules Kounde and Dayot Upamecano are all sidelined for France, meaning that Liverpool's Ibrahima Konaté should start alongside Lucas Hernandez at centre-back.

Benjamin Pavard and Jonathan Clauss are in contention for the right-back spot, while youngsters Castello Lukeba and Malo Gusto, who have both received their first call-ups to the France national team, may have to settle for a place on the bench.

Possible Starting Lineups of the Netherlands and France

Netherlands: Andries Noppert - Stefan de Vrij, Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Aké - Denzel Dumfries, Marten de Roon, Mats Wieffer, Daley Blind - Donyell Malen, Xavi Simons, Steven Bergwijn. (3-4-3)

France: Mike Maignan - Théo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Ibrahima Konaté, Benjamin Pavard - Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni - Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, Kingsley Coman - Olivier Giroud. (4-2-3-1)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

Strange days for Dutch football. Not only because Eredivisie giants Ajax Amsterdam sit inside the relegation zone during October's international break, but the national team will have to fight to avoid missing yet another Major tournament in the 21^st century.

A victory for France, coupled with Greece failing to beat the Republic of Ireland at the same time, would see Didier Deschamps’ side seal their qualification. If the Netherlands lose and Greece win their match, then Oranje will go to Athens under huge pressure on Monday.

France goes into the game as heavy favorites not only because they face an injury-hit Netherlands, but because they look more coherent and more powerful right now. 

Spooky Express Free Play: Over 2.5 Goals -109 at MyBookie for 6/10 Units