England Women continue their preparation for this summer's Euros with a tough-looking clash against reigning European champions the Netherlands at Elland Road on Friday.
The Lionesses eventually saw off a poor Belgium side last week, winning 3-0 at Molineux in a friendly thanks to three goals in the final half-hour, and now Sarina Wiegman's side face off against the dangerous Dutch in Leeds.
| What | England vs Netherlands - International friendly |
| Where | Elland Road, Leeds |
| When | 20:00, Friday 24th June 2022 |
| How to watch | ITV4, ITV Hub |
| Odds | England Women 6/5, Holland Women 19/10, Draw 11/5 |
Final tournament preparation under way
With the women's Euros just under a fortnight away, England are beginning to fine-tune their work ahead of an anticipated bid for continental glory.
However, they know they will have to get past several top teams if they are to be crowned European champions next month - and the Netherlands could well be one of them.
Hosts England are rated at 9/2 to win the Euros, with the Dutch only marginally behind in the market at 5/1. This is reflective of the fact the Netherlands not only won the last tournament, staged five years ago on home soil, but they come into this England clash having lost just one of their last 10 games in all competitions.
During that run, the Netherlands have beaten Norway 7-0, Zambia 10-3, China 8-2 and Cyprus 8-0 and 12-0.
Lionesses in good shape
England, though, are also in fine overall form. The Lionesses have not lost in 12 games and during that run have also hammered several teams.
An 8-0 victory over North Macedonia was followed up by a 10-0 success over Luxembourg, while Wiegman's women have also beaten Latvia, incredibly, 10-0 and 20-0 in two separate games in the past eight months.
The big scorelines both have racked up of late may reflect the somewhat uneven nature of women's football and the big gap between the elite on the international stage and those still trying to grow the female game.
However, it also underlines the fact that both England and the Netherlands are outfits to fear, with scoring goals clearly not an issue for either.
Hosts the slight favourites
England are favourites to win at 6/5, the Netherlands are 19/10 and a tempting draw between what looks like two evenly-matched teams is available at 11/5.
To add to the feeling there is little to choose between these two countries, Netherlands are fourth in FIFA's world rankings, while England sit not far below in eighth.
England have several players they can usually rely upon for goals, including the vastly-experienced Ellen White, while the likes of Beth Mead and Fran Kirby will also be hoping to contribute in the final third.
The Dutch have plenty of firepower to hurt their hosts too, with Arsenal ace Vivianne Miedema aided by PSG star Lieke Martens and Juventus forward Lineth Beerensteyn.
In the goalscorer markets, White appears to be good value at 13/10 to find the back of the net at any time on Friday as she looks to add to her tally of 50 goals for her country.
Meanwhile, Miedema, who has a fantastic record of 92 goals for the Dutch from only 108 caps, is available at 6/4 to score at any time on the night.
Managerial coincidence
Interestingly, there is a nice comparison to be made when looking at the two managers. In England's dugout there is the highly-respected Dutchwoman Wiegman, who led her home nation to that title win in 2017, before taking the Lionesses job in 2021.
The Netherlands now have an English coach in charge in the shape of Mark Parsons. The former Chelsea youth coach has made a name for himself in women's football, impressing in jobs in the US with Washington and Portland, before being named Dutch boss last year.
He has admitted going home to take on England feels strange, but he's also determined to prove his credentials as he guides the Dutch women, who were World Cup runners-up in 2019 and who are going in search of their second major trophy on the international stage this summer.
It's a somewhat odd situation, but one that adds a layer of intrigue to a pre-tournament warm-up game as the build-up to the competition continues.
Closely-fought game anticipated
We should get a decent idea of where these two talented teams are just a couple of weeks out from the start of the Euros and it wouldn't be a surprise to see an even game at Elland Road, with 2-2 in the correct score appealing at odds of 14/1.
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