Getty
World Cup champions France look to cement their spot in the UEFA Nations League Finals on Friday when they take on Netherlands inside Stadion Fejenoord in Rotterdam.
For those in the United States looking to watch, the match is scheduled to start at 2:45 p.m. ET. While it won’t be broadcast on television anywhere in the US, you can still watch a live stream of the game on your computer, phone or streaming device via ESPN+, the new digital streaming service from ESPN that broadcasts all 2018-19 UEFA Nations matches
You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch a live stream of any UEFA Nations League match on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.
If you can’t watch live, all games–including Netherlands vs France–that are streamed on ESPN+ are also available to be watched on-demand via ESPN.com or the ESPN app.
Preview
These teams met in Paris in September, with France securing the 2-1 victory. After Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring with a tap-in goal the 14th minute, Ryan Babel pulled Netherlands equal in the 67th minute only for Olivier Giroud to volley one home seven minutes later to seal the victory for Les Bleus.
France, who worked a 0-0 draw against Germany at Allianz Arena three days previous, went on to beat the Germans 2-1 in the rematch in Paris in October. That puts them at seven points through three matches and in complete control of Group 1:
| Team | Played | W-D-L | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3 | 2-1-0 | +2 | 7 |
| Netherlands | 2 | 1-0-1 | +2 | 3 |
| Germany | 3 | 0-1-2 | -4 | 1 |
For France, it’s simple. A win or a draw against Netherlands on Friday will secure them a spot in the Nations League Finals. If they lose, Netherlands will pull within one point with one match–at Germany on Monday–in hand.
For Netherlands, catching France looks like a bit of a longshot at this point–they need to beat Les Bleus and then get at least a draw against Germany–but even if they don’t top the group, they’re in good position to finish ahead of the Germans and avoid relegation to League B.
This has been a very encouraging tournament thus far for the Dutch. They played well in their first match against the World Cup champs, especially in the second half, and they dominated Germany last month, getting goals from Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum in the 3-0 win.
It’s clear there is some real potential in this Netherlands side, and they have a fantastic opportunity to showcase that against the defending World champions on Friday night. All things considered, this sets up as a highly entertaining match.