Netherland coach Louis van Gaal included injured Barcelona forward Memphis Depay and uncapped teenager Xavi Simons in his 26-man squad for the World Cup, but left out veteran goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. Depay has not played since limping off during the Netherlands’ Nations League match against Poland on September 22, and has played less than 150 minutes for Barcelona this season.
But Van Gaal had already said his top scorer would be certain of a place as long as there was a chance of him playing during the tournament. Xavi Simons, 19, has made a strong impression since his move from Paris St Germain to PSV Eindhoven this summer, scoring eight goals in 13 league matches.
Van Gaal sprung a surprise in goal by leaving out 33-year-old Cillessen, who rejoined his old club NEC Nijmegen from Valencia this summer in the hope of reviving his international career.
Netherlands Squad
- Goalkeepers: Justin Bijlow, Remko Pasveer, Andries Noppert
- Defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Aké, Daley Blind, Jurriën Timber, Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij, Mathijs de Ligt, Tyrell Malacia, Jeremie Frimpong
- Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Steven Berghuis, Davy Klaassen, Teun Koopmeiners, Cody Gakpo, Marten de Roon, Kenneth Taylor, Xavi Simons
- Forwards: Memphis Depay, Steven Bergwijn, Vincent Janssen, Luuk de Jong, Noa Lang, Wout Weghorst
Netherlands Players List
Daley Blind, Denzel Dumfries, Jeremie Frimpong, Jurrien Timber, Matthijs de Ligt, Nathan Ake, Stefan de Vrij, Tyrell Malacia, Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Luuk de Jong, Memphis Depay, Noa Lang, Steven Berghuis, Steven Bergwijn, Vincent Janssen, Wout Weghorst, Andries Noppert, Justin Bijlow, Remko Pasveer, Davy Klaassen, Frenkie de Jong, Kenneth Taylor, Marten de Roon, Teun Koopmeiners, Xavi Simons.
Netherland Match List
- November 21 – Senegal vs Netherlands – 9:30 PM – Al Thumama Stadium
- November 25 – Netherlands vs Ecuador – 9:30 PM – Khalifa International Stadium
- November 29 – Netherlands vs Qatar – 8.30 PM – Al Bayt Stadium