01 Sep 2023 at 12:03 Update: a day ago
National coach Ronald Koeman has included Quilindschy Hartman (Feyenoord), Ian Maatsen (Chelsea) and Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur) in the final selection of the Orange squad for the European Championship qualifiers against Greece and Ireland. The trio has not been called up before.
Steven Berghuis is also part of the 25-strong selection. The Ajax player was previously not included in Koeman’s pre-selection. Compared to the preselection, Steven Bergwijn, Memphis Depay, Sven Botman, Justin Bijlow and Brian Brobbey have dropped out.
Ajax captain Bergwijn was injured on Thursday in the Europa League confrontation with Ludogorets and Memphis and Botman sustained an injury last weekend. Feyenoord keeper Bijlow has been sidelined for a long time due to a fracture in his wrist.
In addition to Van de Ven, Maatsen and Hartman, Tijjani Reijnders will also experience a full international period for the first time. The 25-year-old midfielder, who exchanged AZ for AC Milan in the summer, trained as a reserve in June with Koeman’s selection for the Nations League final round and dropped out against Croatia just before the semi-final.
The 25-strong squad
Keepers: Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion), Mark Flekken (Brentford FC) and Andries Noppert (Heerenveen)
Defenders: Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Daley Blind (Girona FC), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter), Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord), Quilindschy Hartman (Feyenoord), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich), Ian Maatsen ( Chelsea), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur) and Stefan de Vrij (Internazionale)
Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Tijjani Reijnders (AC Milan), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Joey Veerman (PSV) and Mats Wieffer (Feyenoord)
Attackers: Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig), Steven Berghuis (Ajax), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Noa Lang (PSV), Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund) and Wout Weghorst (TSG Hoffenheim)
It is unclear who will keep goalkeeper at Orange
Without Bijlow, who was the first goalkeeper of Orange in the Nations League final round, Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion), Mark Flek (Brentford FC) and Andries Noppert (Heerenveen) are the keepers in the Orange selection. It is still unclear who will line up Koeman this international period.
The flush is also thin during rush hour, especially now that Memphis is missing again. In the final round of the Nations League, Koeman opted for Cody Gakpo in the point. Wout Weghorst is also an option.
The selection of Orange gathers on Monday at the KNVB Campus in Zeist. The confrontation with Greece is scheduled for Thursday in Eindhoven. The duel with the Irish is on Sunday, September 10 in Dublin.
Due to the defeat against France (4-0) in March, there is quite a bit of pressure on the qualifying matches. The Orange must finish in the top two in group B for a direct ticket to next year’s European Championship in Germany. If the Netherlands does not make it, it will be sentenced to playing play-offs.
Group B
France 4-12 (+8) Greece 3-6 (+3) Ireland 3-3 (+1) Netherlands 2-3 (-1) Gibraltar 4-0 (-12)
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