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Injured Netherlands Midfielder De Jong Out for France Match

Real Madrid's Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde (L) challenges Barcelona's Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong during the Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi final first leg football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 2, 2023. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde (L) challenges Barcelona's Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong during the Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi final first leg football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 2, 2023. (AFP)
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Injured Netherlands Midfielder De Jong Out for France Match

Real Madrid's Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde (L) challenges Barcelona's Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong during the Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi final first leg football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 2, 2023. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde (L) challenges Barcelona's Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong during the Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi final first leg football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 2, 2023. (AFP)

Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong and winger Steven Bergwijn dropped out of the national squad for the team's opening European Championship qualifier against France, coach Ronald Koeman said Monday.

De Jong injured his thigh late in Barcelona's 2-1 victory over Real Madrid on Sunday. Bergwijn picked up a knee injury in Ajax's 3-2 loss to Feyenoord.

“Of course that is a big loss because he's an important player for this team,” Koeman said of De Jong. “Because of the way he plays, it will be different if others play in his position. He brings things that not many other players can.”

Koeman called up PSV Eindhoven midfielder Joey Veerman to replace De Jong and Borussia Dortmund winger Donyell Malen as a replacement for Bergwijn.

Friday's match at the Stade de France is the first for Koeman in his second stint in charge of the Netherlands. Predecessor Louis van Gaal's contract ended after the World Cup in Qatar, where the Dutch lost on penalties to eventual champion Argentina in the quarterfinals.

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Mbappé Set to Play for Real Madrid in Intercontinental Cup Final Against Mexico’s Pachuca

Real Madrid's French forward Kylian Mbappe attends a training session ahead of the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final football match between Spain's Real Madrid and Mexico's Pachuca at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, on December 17, 2024. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward Kylian Mbappe attends a training session ahead of the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final football match between Spain's Real Madrid and Mexico's Pachuca at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, on December 17, 2024. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP)
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Mbappé Set to Play for Real Madrid in Intercontinental Cup Final Against Mexico’s Pachuca

Real Madrid's French forward Kylian Mbappe attends a training session ahead of the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final football match between Spain's Real Madrid and Mexico's Pachuca at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, on December 17, 2024. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward Kylian Mbappe attends a training session ahead of the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final football match between Spain's Real Madrid and Mexico's Pachuca at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, on December 17, 2024. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP)

Real Madrid meets Mexican club Pachuca in the final of the watered-down Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, with Kylian Mbappé expected to be available to play for the Spanish powerhouse after nursing a left-thigh injury, The Associated Press reported.
The tournament — being played in a new format after FIFA expanded the Club World Cup for 2025 — brings together the champions of all six soccer confederations. It takes place every year while the bigger Club World Cup will happen every four years.
Madrid made it straight to the final without having to play any matches as the European champion, while Pachuca advanced by defeating South American champion Botafogo and Al Ahly of Egypt in the preliminary rounds of the tournament taking place in Qatar.
Mbappé has been practicing with the rest of Madrid's squad again after missing a Spanish league match against Rayo Vallecano — a 3-3 draw on Saturday.
The France star, still to meet full expectations in his first season with Madrid, got hurt and was substituted after scoring in Madrid’s 3-2 win at Atalanta in the Champions League last week.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who can become the club's most-decorated coach ever with 15 titles with a victory in Wednesday's final, was optimistic about the chances of Mbappé being available, though he was still missing some other key players in a season marred by injuries, including Dani Carvajal, Eder Militão, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy.
“Kylian trained yesterday and felt good," Ancelotti said. “He will see how he feels. If he feels good, he will play, but if there is any sort of risk he won't. But it all looked good yesterday and we are optimistic."
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will likely play after recently returning from a muscle injury that sidelined him for a few games.
Ancelotti completed his squad for the final against Pachuca with a few players from the club's youth squads.
Madrid won the Intercontinental Cup three times (1960, 1998 and 2002) before FIFA began organizing the Club World Cup every year. It has won the Club World Cup five times (2014, 2016, 2017-18 and 2022).
Madrid is currently third in the Spanish league standings.
Pachuca finished third at the Club World Cup in 2017.