International break: 11 must watch matches from World Cup qualifiers
By Thuya Kyaw
3. Netherlands vs France
Two of biggest European giants will face off in a gorgeous Amsterdam Arena on Monday. Their qualification group features Bulgaria, Sweden, Belarus, and Luxembourg so this game will likely be the game to see who will take the top spot and who will finish as runners-up.
A very inexperienced Danny Blind remains as the head coach for Netherlands team despite failing to qualify them for Euro 2016. The team has been very average lately, with results such as losing to Greece in a friendly at home and then drawing with Sweden. The current squad doesn’t have much world-class talent either, with standout players being 32-year-old Wesley Sneijder, Daley Blind, Kevin Strootman, and Georginio Wijnaldum.
On the other hand, France is full of young and promising talent. Didier Deschamps and his men will want to forget a difficult summer they had endured and finish the qualifiers with maximum points possible. Although they were held by minnows Belarus in the first game, the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, Dimitri Payet, Kevin Gameiro, and Anthony Martial are more than capable of helping their nation defeat every other team in this group. Their last meeting was an entertaining friendly back in March where France won 3-2. If Netherlands can step up and challenge the visitors, this should be an intriguing match up.