England schedule Dutch friendly

Friendly was originally set to be held in August

By Subhankar Mondal.   Last Updated: December 2, 2011 7:21pm

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Fabio Capello: England head coach will hope for a positive performance against the Netherlands in February

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England will play the Netherlands in a friendly international at London's Wembley Stadium in February.

The Three Lions were originally scheduled to host the 2010 World Cup finalists in August but the game was postponed because of the London riots at the time.

The English FA has now announced that the clash between two of European football's heavyweights has been rescheduled and will go ahead on February 29, 2012 at the same venue.

"The FA can confirm England will face Holland at Wembley in their opening match of 2012," read a statement on the FA's official website.

"The fixture, that was due to be played in August but was postponed just a day before, will now take place on Wednesday, 29 February, 2012."

The match will be important for both countries as they will be preparing for the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine next summer.

The Netherlands have been handed a tough draw as they have been pitted against Denmark, Germany and Portugal in Group B, while England will confront Ukraine, Sweden and France in Group D.