LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — Former champions France and the Netherlands clash in their second match at the European Championship. France won seven of the teams’ last eight meetings including home and away victories in qualifying. This buildup has been overshadowed by speculation about whether France star Kylian Mbappé can play after breaking his nose in the opening win over Austria.
Kickoff is at 9 p.m. local (1900 GMT) on Friday.
Here’s what to know about the match: Match facts — Mbappé broke his nose when his face collided with Austria defender Kevin Danso’s shoulder on Monday. Blood stained his white France jersey. If he plays on Friday, he’ll need to wear a mask .
But it remains uncertain. Mbappé returned to light training on Wednesday. — If he does play, the France captain will hope to finally score at a European Championship at the sixth attempt.
Mbappé has 47 goals in 80 games for France, including 12 in qualifying for the Euros, but he’s yet to score in five games at the tournament. — France and the Netherlands are level on three points in Group D. The Dutch came from behind to beat Poland 2-1 and France needed an own goal to beat Austria 1-0.
— France defeated the Netherlands 4-0 at home and 2-1 away in qualifying. The Dutch were group runners-up. — Dutch forward Xavi Simons will be back in Leipzig, where he played last season on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
The 21-year-old Xavi scored eight goals in 32 Bundesliga appearances to help Leipz.
