The Netherlands national team will be without captain Virgil van Dijk and striker Brian Brobbey for their final two UEFA Nations League group-stage fixtures, the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) confirmed on Monday.
Van Dijk featured in Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, maintaining his record of playing every minute of the Premier League season so far. However, the KNVB confirmed that the defender is not fully fit and will miss the upcoming international fixtures.
The Liverpool captain earned his 100th international cap in the Netherlands’ 2-1 victory over Serbia in early October.
Brobbey has also been ruled out due to fitness concerns, despite featuring in Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
The striker previously started the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw against Germany in September, the opening match of their Nations League campaign. However, he was forced off with an injury just over 30 minutes into the game and subsequently missed both matches against Serbia, as well as the encounter with Greece.
The KNVB has decided against calling up replacements for either player, leaving the Dutch squad with 23 players for the upcoming fixtures.
The Netherlands will host Greece in Amsterdam on Friday before travelling to Berlin to face Germany on Monday.