It’s been a rollercoaster year for Wout Weghorst. His World Cup substitute heroics were followed by a move to Man United which has seen him cement a starting spot up front against all the odds.

Those performances have all but guaranteed him the same faith by the head coach of the Netherlands, Ronald Koeman. His work outside of scoring goals, is the main appeal for many for the 6”6 gunman.

The role he fulfils means getting his hands dirty. During the Nations League, he averaged an eyewatering 3.08 fouls per game, albeit with limited minutes. At Man United with more reliable playing time, those stats don’t slow down. He’s committed at least one foul in his last nine consecutive appearances.

Up against a French side who are expected to dominate possession, he looks a sure thing to leave a mark on one of the home side’s defenders.

Another Oranje player who looks set to fall afoul is Marten De Roon. He’s a player who is best categorised as a tough tackler, who rarely has a squeaky-clean performance.

His fellow countryman Koopmeiners, is the only Atalanta player to have played more 90’s than him. His controlled aggression means that he’s able to stay on the pitch and avoid suspension while still being able to chip away at his opponents.

The combative midfielder averages 1.32 fouls per game for the Serie A side and 0.23 yellows too. He’s had 13 games since his last appearance at the World Cup. In 11 of those, he’s made at least one foul.

He’s up against Tchouameni and Rabiot, a duo that averages 1.63 and 1.43 fouls drawn per game. It should be another hallmark performance from the midfielder, designated by a foul or maybe even a booking.

The Milan fullback is notable for his attacking strengths and less so his defensive ability. It’s not the ideal position to be slotted in behind newly decorated captain Kylian Mbappe.

The reason being for this, is that Mbappe doesn’t particularly like to track back. This was targeted by opposition teams during the World Cup who focused their efforts on the relatively weaker left-hand side of the French.

He made two fouls against similar level opponents England and Argentina during that campaign. This should be a similar affair. His opposite numbers are Dutch Talisman Depay on the right wing and marauding full back Denzel Dumfries.

They’ll be licking their licks at prospect of the exposed full back. Both players drew a sizeable 1.43, and 2.00 fouls per game during the Nations League. He could be in for a long night.

This is a slightly left-field choice. Mbappe is not someone commonly associated with fouls, tackles, or even defending.

However, he’s been newly crowned as the French captain. This will be his debut as the leader in front of Les Bleus, which will no doubt have an impact on the intensity of the winger’s performance.

In four out of his six starts at the World Cup he made a foul. Even at PSG he’s committed a foul in his last three games. He’s not as spotless as the odds suggest at 1.67 for a foul.

Couple that with the fact that his direct opponent is an expert at drawing fouls in Denzel Dumfries, I think the winger looks good value if you’re feeling slightly braver.

Football hipsters might have argued that it was Griezmann, not Mbappe who was the star player of France’s World Cup campaign.

The attacking midfielder was at the centre of everything for France, chipping in with goals, assists, passes, and tackles too. He was the most likely candidate for captaincy, but Mbappe’s star power was enough for Deschamps.

He found a new role as a diminutive midfielder, which was necessary with the attacking exploits of Mbappe and co in the final third.

Simeone has latched onto this bite at the domestic level, which has seen the midfielder commit a foul at least once in his last six consecutive games. It’ll be more of the same on Friday night in his newfound role.

Berghuis is probably more of a winger than a central midfielder. That doesn’t stop him from being deployed there by the Dutch national team.

While his minutes were relatively limited at the World Cup, he still managed to make four fouls in four games. That was a full-strength Dutch side he had to break into, this one is not.

The camp has been hit by a mystery illness that has seen the likes of Botman, Gakpo, and more sent home, turning selection into a game of last man standing.

Berghuis looks to have dodged the bullet and is set to start against a strong French midfield. He’s made a foul in his last three games for club, four in a row wouldn’t be a push.