Dutch opponent France is also plagued by the specter of injuries. After William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Koundé also had to withdraw from the upcoming international match. The trio will therefore not be able to play against the Netherlands on Friday. This means that there are at least two undisputed basic players missing lesson Bleus.
It was already known on Sunday that Saliba would be missing. The Arsenal defender suffered a toe injury against Manchester City (1-0 win) and was replaced in the French selection by Jean-Clair Todibo (OGC Nice).
However, Saliba is not a regular starter, while Upamecano and Koundé are. The former always starts as a right central defender, while Koundé is the permanent right back.
Upamecano withdrew with hamstring problems, Koundé strained his knee. The duo will be replaced by Chelsea players Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto.
Gusto has not yet played a single international match, while Disasi collected four. Benjamin Pavard is expected to move to the right against the Netherlands, leaving Ibrahima Konaté and Disasi to battle it out on the right in the centre. Brothers Lucas and Théo Hernandez normally form the left half of the defense.
Poor consolation
The injuries will be little consolation for Ronald Koeman, who is also struggling with numerous cancellations. For example, star players Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay are missing and Cody Gakpo, Matthijs de Ligt, Justin Bijlow, Mark Flokken, Steven Berghuis and Noa Lang are also absent. Berghuis’s cancellation was the most recent: he was replaced in the selection by Ian Maatsen.
It was also announced on Monday that Teun Koopmeiners is still a doubt for Friday. The Atalanta midfielder did not come out of the match against Lazio fresh, where he came on as a substitute. Koopmeiners will report to Zeist on Monday, where research will show whether he can take action against the French.
The Netherlands – France will be played on Friday in a sold-out Johan Cruijff ArenA. The teams kick off at 8:45 PM Dutch time. If they win, the Dutch team will approach leader France to within three points in Group B. Greece, like the Dutch team, has nine points, but has already played one more game.