France and Netherlands continue preparations for this summer's World Cup with a friendly at the Stade de France in Paris. While France had to win a playoff round tie to qualify for Brazil, the Dutch went undefeated in qualifying and haven't lost since a friendly against Belgium last August.
France vs. Netherlands: Preview and TV schedule
After a highly successful World Cup qualifying campaign the Netherlands travel to Paris for a friendly against France.
Scott Heavey
French head coach Didier Deschamps welcomes 22-year-old attacking midfielder Antoine Griezmann to his side, handing the Real Sociedad star his first senior side call-up. Griezmann has been stellar for La Real this season scoring 19 goals and creating buzz about possible transfers this summer. Given France's struggles in qualifying, the door is likely open for Griezmann to potentially grab a spot on this summer's roster.
Must Reads
Lucas Digne also received his first call-up despite limited opportunities to play this season at Paris Saint-Germain.
The Netherlands roster is also loaded with uncapped players as head coach Louis van Gaal will take a look at some more options for potential inclusion this summer. Young defender Karim Rekik and PSV teammate Joroen Zoet make their senior side debuts, along with Twente’s Quincy Promes, Feyenoord’s Jean-Paul Boetius and Ajax’s Davy Klaassen.
There's also plenty of experience on the Dutch squad with Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart both expected to play. Midfielder Arjen Robben will miss the match as he struggles with a thigh injury and Paul Verhaegh has withdrawn after suffering a laceration injury. In response, Van Gaal chose only to call up Siem de Jong.
This is the first meeting between the two teams since Euro 2008 when the Netherlands hammered France 4-1.
Match Date/Time: 9:00 p.m. local, 3:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Stade de France, Paris, France
TV: TF1 (France), SBS 6 (Netherlands)
Online: ESPN3 (U.S.), Sportsnet Online (Canada)
See More:
