World Cup: Netherlands will do everything to beat Morocco –Van Dijk
Netherlands captain Virgil Van Dijk has revealed that the players are ready to give their all to overcome the hurdle of facing African giants Morocco in their round of 32 clash at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday.
Both sides will slug it out at the Estadio Monterrey in Mexico for a place in the round of 16.
The Liverpool defender described Morocco as a technically gifted team but is confident that he and his teammates are up to the task of sending them out of the tournament.
He said: “Morocco is a team with a lot of quality. It will be a tough match in difficult conditions as well, but we are ready for it and will give it our all.
“We must play in a more cohesive manner with closer lines, as this aspect needs significant improvement if we want to continue in the tournament.
“I expect the stadium to be largely filled with Dutch national team fans, in addition to local supporters who back us and wear orange. The reception we received at the hotel was fantastic, and there is also a large fan march for Dutch supporters. I might be wrong, but that’s my feeling.”
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Similarly, Netherlands coach, Ronald Koeman is expecting an interesting encounter against Morocco.
He said: “It will be a very interesting game.
“It’s unfortunate that it comes at this early stage of the tournament. I believe both teams could have gone very far in the World Cup if they hadn’t met at this time.”
Morocco started the competition with a 1-1 draw against Brazil before defeating Scotland and Haiti. They have the Dutch standing in their way to the round of 16.
Rwcall that the North Africans made it all the way to the semifinals in the 2022 edition of the World Cup, and they stand as Africa’s most successful side in the tournament.
The match againsy the Netherlands is expected to kick off at 2:00a.m Nigerian time on Tuesday morning.
