Países Bajos is set to start Sunday’s Serbia Vs Netherlands match in Belgrado with two changes to the projected XI, and the biggest shift is up front: Mexx Meerdink is expected to lead the line. Xavi’s predicted team keeps Bart Verbruggen in goal, with Denzel Dumfries, Jan Paul van Hecke, Virgil van Dijk and Micky van de Ven behind a midfield of Joey Veerman, Ryan Gravenberch and Tijjani Reijnders.
That matters now because the game kicks off at 18:00 and will be shown live on NPO1, giving supporters a clear view of how the Netherlands will line up as the Nations League group stage continues. Voetbalzone’s forecast points to Crysencio Summerville on the right, Cody Gakpo on the left and Meerdink through the middle, while Quinten Timber and Ruben van Bommel drop to the bench.
The selection is built around what happened on Thursday, when Países Bajos rescued a 1-1 draw against Alemania. Veerman came on strongly in that match and now has a route back into the side from the start, while Meerdink also left a mark after coming off the bench. He even saw a goal ruled out against Alemania, which made his case harder to dismiss. The absence that opened the door is Brian Brobbey’s injury, and the choice of Meerdink over Joshua Zirkzee shows how firmly Xavi’s staff are leaning toward the younger forward for this one.
Rafael van der Vaart summed up the feeling around Meerdink neatly on NOS: “Lo ha hecho bien y es el único delantero. Yo diría que lo dejen ahí.” That is the real point of this selection, because the match is not being framed around an emergency reshuffle so much as a test of whether a forward who impressed in limited minutes can carry the role from the start. If Xavi sticks with the forecasted XI, Belgrado will be the first place where that decision is judged properly.
