Virgil van Dijk and Ronald Koeman remain defiant ahead of Japan clash as Netherlands' nerves build after concerning Uzbekistan and Algeria friendlies

Netherlands are finalising their preparations for their highly anticipated opening Group F match against a formidable Japan side on June 14. Following their initial training session under the intense American sun, Koeman admitted at a press conference that the upcoming encounter will be both "interesting and difficult".

Since taking charge in early 2023, the manager has guided the side to a fourth-place finish in the 2023 Nations League and the Euro 2024 semi-finals, where they lost to England. However, their recent results have been somewhat underwhelming. Last week, Oranje departed their homeland off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Algeria before two Cody Gakpo penalties, including one in the last minute, sealed a narrow victory against Uzbekistan in their final pre-World Cup warm-up game.

Facing Japan represents a major hurdle, with Virgil van Dijk acknowledging the opposition's immense quality. "Japan are very strong. They play with a lot of discipline and also have a lot of quality. We are really looking forward to it," the captain noted.

Koeman echoed these sentiments, praising the Asian powerhouse. "We have analysed them and we know that they are strong as a team. They are physically very strong and it will certainly not be easy. We believe in ourselves. We respect Japan, but we are Holland, so they will also respect us. It will be a difficult match, but we are full of confidence."

Regarding his starting lineup, the manager kept his cards close to his chest. "If I did not know that by now, then I would not have done my homework properly," he joked.

Meanwhile, concerns remain over goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who is following an individual programme. "We are confident that it will be fine. It is a bruise, so it could have been worse. We have to take it day by day," the coach explained.

Following a shaky preparation, public expectations remain low. Nevertheless, the squad are firmly focused on navigating Group F.

Dismissing the outside noise, Van Dijk stated: "I only focus on things that I actually have an influence on. That is on this group and on our training and preparations. We just try to do that as well as possible."

After their opener against Japan, the Netherlands will then face Sweden before concluding their group stage campaign against Tunisia.