March 21, (THEWILL) – Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber will miss the Nations League quarter-final second leg against Spain due to illness, the Dutch Football Association confirmed on Friday.
The Arsenal player was absent from Thursday’s 2-2 draw in Rotterdam and has not recovered sufficiently to join the squad travelling to Valencia for Sunday’s decisive match.
The Dutch team faces additional defensive concerns with 19-year-old Jorrel Hato unavailable through suspension following his late dismissal in the first leg. Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman has responded by adding Aston Villa defender Ian Maatsen to the squad as defensive cover.
Maatsen, who received a similar emergency call-up during the European Championship last year, remains uncapped at senior international level despite previous inclusion in the national team setup.
The return leg in Valencia will determine which team advances to the Nations League semi-finals, with both sides seeking to build on their attacking display from the evenly contested first encounter in Rotterdam.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
