Xavi Hernández will make his debut as Netherlands head coach on Thursday evening. The Nations League match against Germany kicks off at 20:45 at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
"Xavi Hernández makes his debut as Netherlands national team coach on Thursday evening," said the new boss. The fixture is the 48th meeting between the two rivals. The Netherlands have won twelve, Germany eighteen, with eighteen matches drawn. The heaviest defeat was a 7-0 loss to West Germany in 1959.
The last Dutch victory came in September 2019, a 2-4 win in Euro qualification. The most recent encounter, in October 2024, was a 1-0 win for Germany. Xavi's selection features several notable changes. Marc-André ter Stegen returns after a year out and Joey Veerman is back after more than two years away. Debutants Ruben van Bommel and Gjivai Zechiël are included.
Memphis Depay is the most notable absentee. Matthijs de Ligt, Jerdy Schouten and the injured Frenkie de Jong and Xavi Simons are also missing. Justin Kluivert and Donyell Malen picked up recent injuries. Marten de Roon and Wout Weghorst were not called up. Jeremie Frimpong, Kenneth Taylor and Jurriën Timber do return to the squad.
Television coverage begins around 20:05 with a preview on NPO 3. Post-match analysis starts around 22:45. On radio, the match is available via Langs de Lijn en Omstreken on NPO Radio 1. NPO 1 extra (channel 81) will provide an audio-descriptive broadcast for the blind and visually impaired.
Opponents Germany are led for the first time by Jürgen Klopp, who selected 44 players for the Nations League cycle. The Netherlands go into the match in strong form. The team currently sits top of their World Cup qualifying group with seven points from three games. The last five internationals yielded three wins and two draws, an unbeaten run. The last result was a 1-1 draw with Morocco at the end of June. The full squad and fixture list can be found on this site. The next assignment is the home match against Germany on Thursday 24 September.
Further reading: Mee Met Oranje
