Frenkie de Jong will miss the Netherlands’ away match against Germany in the final game of the Nations League group stage. The midfielder has minor complaints following the 7–0 victory over Greece and will not travel to Berlin as a precaution.
“As a precaution, it has been decided that he will not travel to Berlin, as Monday’s match against Germany comes too soon,” the Royal Netherlands Football Association announced.
The 29-year-old returned to the squad for the home game against Greece after missing the first four matches of the campaign in September. He started the match in Amsterdam but was substituted at half-time after feeling pain in his back.
The Netherlands won 7–0. Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring in the sixth minute, while Tijjani Reijnders completed a hat-trick in the 12th, 18th and 33rd minutes. Jurriën Timber added two goals in the 40th and 59th minutes, while Donyell Malen completed the scoring in the 61st minute.
Xavi Hernández will not call up a replacement for De Jong. The Netherlands will travel to Germany with a squad of 23 players. The team was already without Virgil van Dijk and Brian Brobbey in the thrashing of Greece.
The Netherlands lead the group with 11 points. Germany and Greece have eight points each after the Germans beat Serbia 3–1 on Friday. The top two teams will advance to the quarter-finals, which will be held in March.
Germany – Netherlands will be played on Monday at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Kick-off is at 20:45. The result of the match will determine the final standings in the group and the teams advancing to the next phase.