THE HAGUE, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch national team flew to Qatar from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport with all 26 squad members for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on board on Tuesday, including injured right back Denzel Dumfries.
Dumfries sustained an injury to his right knee with his club Inter Milan against Atalanta on Sunday, but it turned out to be not too serious. The 26-year-old defender participated in a large part of the training session in Zeist, the Netherlands, on Monday.
"Not even a small worry, of course I will travel to Qatar," Dumfries said to national broadcaster NOS on Monday. "I feel I can start the first match against Senegal."
Memphis Depay, who was out of action for almost two months due to a hamstring injury, also appeared on the training pitch and looked fit. The FC Barcelona striker hopes to make rapid progress and to be available for the opening match.
"It's going well," Depay said. "I feel fit and have been training really hard these past few weeks."
However, head coach Louis van Gaal said last Friday that Depay will not start the first match and might only be used as a substitute. Antwerp striker Vincent Janssen will be his replacement.
'Oranje' will start the World Cup on November 21 in Group A against Senegal, followed by matches against Ecuador on November 25 and hosts Qatar on November 29.
Van Gaal is full of confidence. "We have a great chance to become world champions," he told a press conference last Friday. "There are only few coaches who dare to speak out like that, but I say it. My goal is to become world champions."
The Netherlands reached the World Cup final three times in 1974, 1978 and 2010, but lost on all occasions. The last time the Netherlands participated in the World Cup was in 2014, when Van Gaal led the team to a third place. ■
