UEFA Nations League,
League A – 1
Netherlands
NED
09/24/2026
7:45 p.m
Germany
GER
-
referee
- Alexander Hernandez
Netherlands-Germany Nations League preview
Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk says it will be “great” to be reunited with Jurgen Klopp when the new Germany manager takes his side to the Johan Cruyff Arena in their first Nations League game on Thursday.
Klopp and Dutch counterpart Xavi took over after a disappointment World Cup campaigns for the countries, putting Van Dijk on course to meet the manager with whom he won at least one of England’s major domestic trophies and the Champions League between 2019 and 2024.
“He was a very important person in my career, along with Ronald Koeman (Van Dijk’s former boss with Southampton and Oranje),” reflected Van Dijk (via telegraph).
“I was able to speak to him during the World Cup after a training session in Dallas. It will be nice to see him again, but hopefully we can make sure he misses his first game as Germany coach.
“We didn’t do well enough (at the World Cup). That’s clear. In hindsight, it’s easy to say what we should have done differently, but we failed (going out to Morocco in the round of 16).
“These are the hard facts. Like the Netherlandsyou shouldn’t be removed so soon.”
Younes Ebnoutalib is one of the new arrivals in the visiting team and the Frankfurt striker says he was left “in tears” after receiving the call.
“(Klopp wants us to) represent the German national team with pride and, even when things don’t go well, we give it our all,” added the 23-year-old, via DFB.
“(He’s) one of the best coaches in the world. I’m just trying to do my best and hopefully I’ll get a lot of playing time.”
In his first managerial role since leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season, Klopp has named a squad for the trip to Amsterdam and the home game against Greece on Sunday and another for the home game with Serbia on Thursday and the away game against Greece on October 4 (all 19:45 BST).
“Making the team was fun,” the 59-year-old said. “We took a different approach and didn’t look for what we didn’t have, but what we did have.
“We want to prepare the players to be at the highest level in the next two or three years. It’s important to want to develop.
“There are a few guys who surprise us, but we’ve seen something in them and we want to be part of their development. We’ve seen so much talent in the last few weeks, so much so that we can’t even include everyone.
“I’m very happy with the national team; the discussions with the players were great. It was really fun to talk to them. I can say that playing in the national team means an incredible amount to all of them.”
News from the Netherlands v Germany League of Nations team
Xavi has called up PSV winger Ruben van Bommel and Feyenoord winger Gjivai Zechiel, who is competing for midfield places alongside the restored Borussia Dortmund’s Joey Veerman and Lazio’s Kenneth Taylor.
Midfielders Marten de Roon and strikers Wout Weghorst and Memphis Depay have been left out of the World Cup squad, but Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong is back.
“The hardest thing was talking to Memphis,” Xavi said. “I know him and I have a good relationship with him. The conversation with him was fantastic.
“He understood everything. I want to emphasize that the door is not closed for Memphis, and that applies to all players. He has shown a lot of maturity and intelligence.”
PSV midfielder Guus Til, who was initially withdrawn from the squad, has received a late call-up along with AZ striker Mexx Meerdink due to injuries to Bournemouth’s Justin Kluivert and Roma’s Donyell Malen.
Arsenal full-back Jurrien Timber, who missed the final with a groin injury, has trained separately but is fit, while Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Brighton & Hove Albion full-back or midfielder Mats Wieffer are sidelined.
Newcomers from Germany in this squad also include Freiburg right-back Philipp Treu, centre-back Max Rosenfelder and midfielder Yannik Engelhardt, Augsburg left-back Hennes Behrens and Hoffenheim striker Bambase Conte.
Ajax goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and defenders Yann Bisseck of Inter and Josha Vagnoman of Stuttgart return, as do forwards Anton Stach (Leeds United), Chris Fuhrich (Stuttgart), Kevin Schade (Brentford) and Serge Gnabry (Bayern).
Brajan Gruda has withdrawn due to an abdominal injury which the Brighton attacking midfielder suffered while playing for Leipzig at Leverkusen on Sunday.
Holland and Germany predicted Nations League lineups
Netherlands: Bart Verbruggen, Denzel Dumfries, Jan Paul van Hecke, Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Tijjani Reijnders, Crysencio Summerville, Donyell Malen, Brian Brobbey
Germany: Alex Nubel, Joshua Kimmich, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah, Nathaniel Brown, Jamal Musiala, Nadiem Amiri, Yannik Engelhardt, Serge Gnabry, Anton Stach, Kai Havertz
Stats Netherlands v Germany, form
- Six of the last 10 meetings and each of the last two meetings between these teams in the Netherlands have been drawn, with each team winning twice each as part of a streak dating back to a friendly in October 1980.
- Before Germany won the last game 1-0 in Munich in October 2024, both teams had scored in six consecutive editions of the game with an average of four goals per game.
- Germany have won five, drawn five and lost three of their trips to Amsterdam, most recently earning a 2-2 draw in the Nations League in September 2024 after Tijjani Reijnders had scored the fastest goal in a game between the countries since 1974 when he scored after 98 seconds.
- They are unbeaten in their last four meetings with the Netherlands (V2) and have lost one of their last seven editions of the game, succumbing to goals from Donyell Malen and Georginio Wijnaldum in a 4-2 defeat in a Euro qualifier in September 2019 after Gnabry scored the opener.
- Only one of their last six away games against the Netherlands has ended in defeat, losing 3-0 in the Nations League in October 2018 thanks to goals from Van Dijk, Depay and Wijnaldum as part of a campaign that culminated in their opponents reaching the final for the first and only time so far in the tournament’s inaugural edition.
- Die Mannschaft have lost their last two matches and are winless in three Nations League matches, although their last win came in their last away game in the competition with a 2-1 triumph against Italy in Milan in March 2025.
- The Netherlands have 12 wins to Germany’s 18 in the history of the game, with 18 draws and the Oranje trailing by a total of 90-79.
- They haven’t lost a competitive game at home since a 2-1 loss to France in Euro 2024 qualifying in October 2023, winning six times and drawing three times since then.
- Each of the Netherlands’ last three Nations League matches have resulted in draws after 90 minutes, and the last six in Holland have seen an average of five goals (including extra time).
- Since a 4-0 home win over fellow countrymen Lithuania in World Cup qualifying in November 2025, the Netherlands have not kept a clean sheet in eight games, although they have conceded exactly once in seven of those games.
Where to watch Netherlands – Germany: TV channel, live streaming online
Kick-off on Thursday is 19:45 BST (14:45 ET / 11:45 PT). This match is not shown live in the UK.
For worldwide streaming details, visit International broadcasters of the UEFA Nations League.
Prediction Netherlands – Germany
Netherlands
2-2
Germany
Two managers with attacking instincts, a team with an entertaining history and the potential for tactical and selection experimentation make this another potentially high-scoring clash between the neighbors.
