PreviewDutch Reds v Jürgen Klopp: Liverpool eyes on international meeting in Amsterdam
An intriguing international fixture with plenty of Liverpool-related interest takes place in Amsterdam on Thursday night.
There, a Netherlands squad captained by Virgil van Dijk and also including Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch will meet Germany, who will be, for the first time, managed by former Reds boss Jürgen Klopp.
The UEFA Nations League tie at Johan Cruyff Arena will not feature Florian Wirtz, however.
New head coach Klopp has selected 44 players for Die Mannschaft’s four upcoming games, with Wirtz among a group of 20 that will join up only for the matches against Serbia and Greece in early October.
Further Liverpool connections can be found within the Germany set-up, though, with Peter Krawietz and Pepijn Lijnders reprising their roles as Klopp’s assistant coaches.
Klopp signed Gakpo, Gravenberch and Van Dijk during his glorious reign at Anfield.
The latter was a cornerstone of his all-conquering Reds team, while Gakpo and Gravenberch would also play key roles in the 2024-25 Premier League title-winning campaign under Arne Slot.
Van Dijk sits just four appearances shy of reaching 100 caps for his country and he is set to achieve that milestone under another big-name debutant on the international management scene: Xavi Hernandez.
The skipper recently held talks with the new Netherlands boss regarding his international future.
And, following Liverpool’s win at AFC Bournemouth on Sunday, he explained that he realised quickly that he wished to continue leading Oranje under the legendary ex-Spain and Barcelona midfielder.
“Obviously it was a massive decision,” Van Dijk said. “I had to feel the confidence and the combination of respect and joy and everything I wanted.
“That was from the first second the case, so the conversation didn’t need to be that long. But it was very good, so I am really looking forward to meeting up tomorrow for the important four games.
“Let's make the next two years at least an amazing time.”
Xavi, meanwhile, echoed those comments during a press conference on Monday.
He stated: “It was a really good meeting [with Van Dijk]. He was very honest, he has the capacity to continue. He’s a good leader, he’s positive, he’s motivated. He’s ready to be the leader.”