Overview
- Xavi Hernández will lead the Netherlands for the first time on Thursday, September 24, in a Nations League match against Germany.
- Captain Virgil van Dijk said he briefly considered quitting after the World Cup but confirmed he stayed after a short conversation with Xavi and pushed back at media claims that he dictated tactics.
- Xavi named a leadership order behind Van Dijk—Denzel Dumfries, Nathan Aké and Cody Gakpo—and said the staff will confirm the matchday selection only after the team’s final training sessions.
- Germany coach Jürgen Klopp called an expanded 44-player pool for the window, and pundit lineups and reporting indicate Marc‑André ter Stegen is expected to start in goal against the Netherlands.
- The match is the first of a compact Nations League run that also includes games in Belgrade and Thessaloniki, and it renews a rivalry in which the Netherlands have not beaten Germany in seven years while Van Dijk nears his 100th cap.