Paul Pogba France
France midfielder Paul Pogba during a training session in Amsterdam, October 9, 2016Reuters

Netherlands ended a poor run at home with an emphatic win over Belarus on Friday, but how much Danny Blind's side have improved will really be known when they host France, the Euro 2016 finalists, in a FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier in Amsterdam on Monday.

Holland defeated Belarus 4-1 in Rotterdam last week, with Quincy Promes, Davy Klaasen and Vincent Janssen all finding the back of the net. As decent a team as Belarus are, France are a completely different prospect, something the manager Blind and the players will know.

"France are a tough opponent," Blind said. "Those guys are used to playing top matches every week. They are physically strong and so we will have to make a stand there straightaway."

Also Read

That stand will need to be made both offensively and defensively. While the Dutch will need to stay strong at the back to nullify the threat of the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Dimitri Payet, Paul Pogba and Kevin Gameiro, the onus will really be on the Netherlands forwards to take the game to France and with it get the crowd behind them.

The Amsterdam Arena can be an intimidating place to play for away teams and it will be up to the Holland players to ensure that they push the crowd towards creating that atmosphere.

"We started well against Sweden, only the result (a 1-1 draw) was disappointing, and the good feeling about that game we brought to the game with Belarus," Blind, who will be without Arjen Robben and most probably Wesley Sneijder as well, added. "Now I want to do the same in that third game and, at the least, not lose.

"The French also have their defects. They sometimes give away areas where we can use."

Didier Deschamps' side also won 4-1 on Friday, getting the better of Bulgaria. Gameiro helped himself to a double, while Griezmann and Payet were also on target. If France find their attacking mojo on Monday, the Dutch defence could struggle.

With the automatic qualifiers from Group A likely to come down to these two teams, what France get from this away match could prove to be the difference. So could Deschamps go into the game looking for a draw? "We start the game with the target to give everything to win," Deschamps insisted. "Nobody can know how it will happen. If the result is draw, we will take this draw.

"But I will not start the match by saying that we must not lose. We will play with the intention of winning."

Where to Watch Live

Netherlands vs France is scheduled for an 8.45pm CET (7.45pm BST, 2.45pm ET, 12.15am IST next day) start. Live Streaming and TV information.

India: TV: Sony ESPN HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.

Netherlands: TV: NPO3.

France: TV: TF1.

UK: TV: ITV4. Live Streaming: ITV Hub.

Canada: TV: Sportsnet. Live Streaming: Watch Sportsnet.

USA: TV: Fox Sports 1. Live Streaming: FoxSoccer2Go.

Australia and Latin America: TV: ESPN.