There's more at stake for the Dutch than for the French here; a win for Frank Rijkaard's side would ensure they top Group D and stay at home, rather than having to go to Bruges, for their quarter-final.
That makes it slightly tricky for the Dutch coach whose team is already guaranteed of their place in the last eight and who would, presumably, prefer to rest some of those players already on a booking in order to save them for the knockout stages.
Included in that list are the likes of Michael Reiziger and Frank De Boer, either of whom would be a major loss in the next round.
Another, Edwin Van Der Sar, misses the game anyway through injury - Sander Westerveld comes in - and the fourth, Bert Konterman, may well be replaced in any case by the fit again Jaap Stam. the suspension of Giovanni Van Bronckhorst might open the door at left back for his Rangers team-mate Artur Numan.
The French have slight injury worries too, with Emmanuel Petit, Bixente Lizarazu and Nicolas Anelka all carrying knocks. None seems to be struggling particularly badly, but in the circumstances team coach Roger Lemerre, whose father was buried back in France yesterday, may opt to start with all three on the bench as a precaution.
