Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk expressed disappointment over the poor condition of the pitch at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, where his team is set to play their Euro 2024 opener against Poland on Sunday.
Both the Netherlands and Poland have raised concerns about the state of the turf, leading neither team to hold their final pre-match training sessions at the stadium. Instead, the Dutch trained at their base in Wolfsburg.
Van Dijk, speaking at a press conference on Saturday, compared the pitch to the one used during a friendly against Germany in Frankfurt in March. "The top layer will probably loosen quickly. That is of course a shame, but both teams will have to deal with it," he said.
Coach Ronald Koeman explained the decision to train in Wolfsburg, stating that it allowed the team to prepare more effectively. "In the end, we should not have trained here anyway because of the turf," he added.
Koeman is expected to start RB Leipzig winger Xavi Simons in the match, leaving out Jeremie Frimpong despite his impressive performances for Bayer Leverkusen. Simons, a 21-year-old talent, has scored once in 14 international appearances but has shown promise, scoring in recent warm-up wins against Canada and Iceland.
"He is one of the greatest talents we currently have in the Netherlands," Koeman said about Simons. Van Dijk echoed this sentiment, expressing confidence in the young player's potential. "He can give so much more than he does now. He can do much better," said the Liverpool defender.
The Netherlands aims to make a strong start in Group D, with tough matches against France and Austria following their game against Poland.
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