Last Word on Football brings you the predicted lineup and latest team news for Netherlands vs Japan.
Netherlands kick off their World Cup campaign with a game against Japan. It’s a rematch of their clash back in the group stages of the 2010 South Africa World Cup, Holland won that day with Wesley Sneijder scoring the only goal.
Fast forward to the present day, and whilst they may not have as strong a side, the Dutch will always be competitive. A nation enshrined within the history books, with icons such as Johan Cruyff, Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit donning their famous orange strip. A win against Japan will be the perfect start to the tournament, especially with a competitive group including Sweden and Tunisia.
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Netherlands vs Japan Predicted Lineup and Latest Team News
Date: Sunday, 14th June 2026 BST, 14th June 2026 local
Venue: Dallas Stadium
Kick-off: 9p.m BST (June 14), 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (June 14)
Last meeting: Netherlands 2-2 Japan (16th November 2013)
Referee: Ismail Elfath ( USA)
Current odds: Netherlands 19/20, Japan 11/4, Draw 13/5 (Sky Bet)
Netherlands Team News
Bart Verbruggen was a concern following an injury picked up in the friendly against Uzbekistan; however, he rejoined training on Friday and is likely to be back in between the sticks. “We are confident that it will be fine. It is a bruise, so it could have been worse. We have to take it day by day,” Ronald Koeman explained.
One of the biggest strengths of the Dutch national team is its wealth of defensive options. Virgil Van Dijk, Jan Paul Van Hecke and Jurrien Timber all start in the Premier League, whilst Denzel Dumfries is set for a move to Real Madrid. However, Timber was recently ruled out of the squad after picking up a groin injury.
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Memphis Depay didn’t start in either of the warm-up friendlies, thus leaving his place in jeopardy. Donyell Malen was preferred, with the Roma attacker ending the season in incredible form. He scored 15 goals with two assists in just 20 games, a stark contrast from his time at Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, captain Van Dijk looks ahead to the game and expects a tough start to the tournament. He said: “Japan are very strong. They play with a lot of discipline and also have a lot of quality. We are really looking forward to it.”
Japan, of course, came up with some major upsets at the last World Cup with wins over Spain and Germany, topping the group of death in the process. It’s certainly billed to be a great game, but can the quality of Cody Gakpo, Frenkie De Jong and Malen help the Dutch prevail?
Netherlands Predicted Lineup
Verbruggen
Dumfries
Van Hecke
Van Dijk
Van de Ven
Gravenberch
De Jong
Summerville
Reijnders
Gakpo
Malen
Featured Image Credit:
IMAGO / Richard Wareham
