The English referee Taylor confronts a duel of flutes between Orange and France | Now

Referee Anthony Taylor leads the match between the Dutch national team and the world soccer champion, France, in the League of Nations on Friday night. The German is assisted by linesman Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn in a sold out Kuip.

Stuart Attwell and Martin Atkinson, also of England, keep the goal line and their compatriot Lee Betts will act as the fourth official.

Forty-year-old Taylor counts as one of the best referees in England. Last weekend, he had still whistled the derby between Manchester City and Manchester United (3-1).

Taylor had previously led the Orange team: two years ago, in a duel with Luxembourg (3-1) in the qualifying round for the World Championship in Russia. Earlier this season, he had whistled the game against PSV BATE Borisov (3-0) in Eindhoven in the preliminary round of the Champions League.

Orange already had 23 unbeaten games at De Kuip

The Dutch team has almost unbeatable in De. Kuip, also because he often received the most powerful opponents of the Johan Cruijff ArenA

With eighteen wins and five draws, the Dutch team has already 23 years in a row without defeat in Rotterdam. The last fourteen international matches in the Feyenoord stadium have even been won and eleven times, the zero has taken place.

The Dutch national team has lost only one of De Kuip's last 34 international matches. This happened on October 11, 2000 against Portugal (0-2).

The impressive figures of De Kuip are a support for Orange during the confrontation with France. Since the great victory at the 2008 European Championships in Switzerland and Austria (4-1), the Netherlands have lost four times in a row against the reigning world champion. Between 1907 and 1912, the Dutch team faced England had a worst series with six consecutive defeats against a determined opponent

The coach of the French national team Didier Deschamps returns to De Kuip for the first time in eighteen years. He was captain of the France team in 2000 after winning the finals of the European Championship against Italy (2-1 after extra time)

France and the Netherlands start to 20:45. On Monday, the Dutch team will play at the same time in Gelsenkirchen against Germany.

See League of Nations standings and program