France vs. Netherlands: World Cup 2018 Qualifying Live Stream, Preview
France meet the Netherlands at the Stade de France on Thursday in a vital qualifier for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Les Bleus currently sit second in Group A, level on points with leaders Sweden and three ahead of the Netherlands.
Manager Didier Deschamps' men only find themselves second thanks to goal difference, with Sweden having scored twice more, a gap the hosts will look to close against a leaky Dutch defence.
The Netherlands have conceded six times through three matches on manager Dick Advocaat's watch. His team could struggle to repel some of the precocious talents in the France squad, including AS Monaco winger Thomas Lemar.
Before a preview, here are the schedule and viewing details, including live-streaming information:
Date: Thursday, August 31
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports Football, ESPN Deportes
Live Stream: Sky Go, ESPN Player
Lemar's pace, intelligent movement and terrific delivery from wide areas are sure to cause the Dutch problems. So are the keen instincts for pouncing on chances possessed by Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann.
It will be interesting to see who Deschamps asks to partner Grizemann up top. He has called up Arsenal duo Olivier Giroud and Alexandre Lacazette, with the former usually preferred by Deschamps.
At the back, there is also a place in the squad for Kurt Zouma. The Chelsea centre-back has impressed so far on loan at Premier League side Stoke City and deserves the chance to re-establish his credentials at international level.
There is also likely to be a lot of attention paid to Lemar's Monaco teammate Kylian Mbappe, with the 18-year-old looking increasingly likely to complete a loan-to-buy deal to Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint-Germain, per Bryan Swanson of Sky Sports.
France boast the firepower to make life miserable for a Netherlands squad with more than a few holes defensively. Advocaat will be without Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Daryl Janmaat and Jeffrey Bruma, according to Goal's Oli Platt.
Van Dijk's aerial presence and reading of the game are sure to be sorely missed against opposition of this quality.
Advocaat has some tough choices to make at the back, but it's up front where things could get most interesting, after Robin van Persie was brought back into the fold.
The 34-year-old Fenerbahce striker expressed his delight at being back involved for his country, per James Rowe of Football-Oranje.com: ”I was last called up to the national team 18 months ago so I was not counting on it but I am really happy to be here and to be a part of this national team squad. I worked with Dick Advocaat last year at Fenerbahce and that was great."
Van Persie may be in the winter of his career, but the former Arsenal and Manchester United ace has not lost his keen eye for goal. The veteran is sure to be key for the Netherlands' hopes during the rest of this qualification campaign.
At the moment, even Van Persie won't be enough to stop France putting three more precious points on the board.
Prediction: France 3-1 Netherlands
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