France v Netherlands – Betting Preview
France Summary
France begins 2024 qualifying with a tough opponent but their recent record against the Netherlands is very impressive, as they have won five of the last six meetings between them.
France was favourites to win back-to-back World Cups in Qatar, but lost out at the end to Argentina on penalties.
It may be difficult to get as motivated and inspired for this qualification stage on the back of extreme highs and lows of Qatar, confidence and belief are always high among this group.
The group is however, missing captain Hugo Lloris due to injury, and so AC Milan’s highly rated Maignan will be the one tasked with keeping the Netherlands out this week.
Without the veteran leader Hugo Lloris, boss Deschamps is yet to name his new captain publicly. There are rumours that he may hand it to key man Mpabbe.
Netherlands Summary
The Netherlands will be a new look side as Louis Van Gaal departed on the back of their Qatar World Cup adventure.
The Netherlands turned to Dutch playing legend Ronald Koeman. His recent managerial experiences have not impressed much, and so there is big pressure on him to make a positive start.
The game could barely be any tougher for Koeman and the team, with a trip to the highest-ranked in the continent awaiting them.
The Netherlands will be happy with a point to begin qualifying, at the very least the boss will hope for an impressive performance.
Koeman has named five uncapped players, but those are more likely to debut in the second game against Gibraltar in Rotterdam.
The important Wijnaldum returns to the squad now fit and there is a high-profile return of goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. The former Barcelona keeper was surprisingly dropped in favour of a lower-league keeper in Qatar.
Betting Analysis
Looking at the 1×2 market first. France is the strong favourites to win @ 1.80.
The Dutch will be perhaps slightly more motivated with a new manager breathing fresh ideas into play. The Netherlands is @ 3.85 and the draw is @ 3.55.
Moving onto the Asian handicap betting for this contest. France -0.5 is @ 1.83. The Netherlands has the draw onside 0.5 @ 1.93.
Looking at The Under/Over goal betting last of all. The line is set at 2.25.
Both teams have scored in five of France’s last seven matches, which bodes quite well for Overs, but the market offers little value. The Over is @ 1.77 and the Under is @ 1.96
