Koeman: Uzbekistan friendly will help fine-tune Netherlands starting side
Ronald Koeman said that Monday’s friendly against Uzbekistan will be used to fine-tune his starting line-up for the Netherlands’ opening game at the World Cup.
Netherlands take on World Cup debutants Uzbekistan at Icahn Stadium, hoping to bounce back from their shock 1-0 defeat to Algeria before they jetted off to North America.
The Oranje’s defeat saw them lose their final home match before a major tournament for only the fourth time, having previously done so in 1934, 1938 and 2004.
Koeman made the decision to replace his entire team against Algeria, with six of those changes coming at half-time, including Virgil van Dijk and Micky van de Ven.
Netherlands come up against an Uzbekistan side that were beaten 2-0 by co-hosts Canada last time out, while it will also be the first ever meeting between the two nations.
And while Koeman insisted that almost every player within his 26-man squad would play in their final World Cup warm-up, he said the team that lines up to start the match will likely be the one that faces Japan in their Group F opener on June 14.
“We want to use the first match to make as few changes as possible. We have to wait and see if that works,” Koeman told reporters.
“We are going to play the first match largely with our starting team. It is also good for guys who are not 100% fit who can then play in the second match.
“That is why we are playing two matches. We have 26 players and everyone gets minutes to play. That’s what you want.”
Work in progress.
#NEDUZB #NothingLikeOranje #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/tP0oOb5BKO
— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) June 7, 2026
Netherlands also face Sweden and Tunisia in their other group fixtures as they aim to improve on their quarter-final exit to Argentina in Qatar four years ago.
And one player who will be hoping to play his way into Koeman’s side is Jurrien Timber, who featured in Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Timber had been sidelined with a groin injury, and the Netherlands boss conceded that there were still some concerns surrounding the defender’s fitness.
“If he trains and is fully fit, he always makes a good impression. That hasn’t been the case every day, so we have to make a decision,” Koeman added.
“He participated in training, and we are going to sit down with the doctor and Jurrien at the end of [Sunday] afternoon to see whether he is going to start or not.”
