France vs Netherlands: Virus hits “Oranje Holland”
The French national team has a favorable chance to start the Euro 2024 qualifiers with an advantage in the upcoming important match against the Dutch national team.
On March 24th, the French team will kick off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign by hosting direct competitors in Group B, the Netherlands. France vs Netherlands match is predicted to be an easy match for Mbappe and his teammates. Because they have recently received a big advantage in terms of personnel.
The Dutch football association recently announced to the media that five players cannot play due to the “Orange tornado” virus. They include Gakpo, Sven Botman, Matthijs de Ligt, Joey Veerman, and Bart Verbruggen.
These players have to leave the Dutch team’s headquarters due to signs of illness. It is not yet clear which virus is causing the “orange storm”, but it does not seem to be caused by Covid-19.
Gakpo, Sven Botman, and Matthijs de Ligt are all key players for the Dutch team. This clearly poses a significant challenge for coach Ronald Koeman before the major battle against France.
Earlier, the Netherlands lost midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Ajax striker Steven Bergwijn due to injury, while Denzel Dumfries was suspended. Thus, the number of players who cannot play against France currently has risen to 8, including many key players.
The fact that the Netherlands is missing so many important pillars is obviously good news for the French team. Mbappe and his teammates need to take advantage of this great advantage to win and have a dream start to the EURO 2024 qualifying round.
The French national team is determined to show its strength in the EURO 2024 qualifiers. Their immediate goal is to reach the finals and then win the championship. Coach Deschamps has set his sights on winning Euro 2024 after failing to win the last two tournaments.
Returning after the 2022 World Cup, the French team is expected to present a lineup with many changes. Among them, Mbappe has been appointed as the new captain, while Mike Maignan will be the number one goalkeeper, replacing Lloris who has retired from the national team.
In addition, in the upcoming match against the Netherlands, the striker position is likely to be given to Randal Kolo Muani – the striker who played very well in the recent World Cup final. The duo who teamed up at Leipzig, Ibrahima Konaté and Dayot Upamecano, will form a new center-back partnership for Les Bleus.
Returning to the Dutch team, coach Ronald Koeman said he was shocked by the current situation of the team. However, the coach also said that the absent players in the match against France could still return when the Netherlands faces Gibraltar on March 28.
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