Virgil van Dijk and Brian Brobbey ruled out of Netherlands Nations League games

Xavi Hernandez will be without Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk and forward Brian Brobbey for the team’s final two Nations League group matches because both players are not fit enough to play.

The Dutch Football Association confirmed on Monday that the pair had been withdrawn from the squad for games against Greece and Germany in the closing rounds of Group A.

Van Dijk’s absence comes despite the Liverpool defender playing the full match in his side’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday. He has also completed every minute of Liverpool’s Premier League campaign this season, but the Dutch Football Association said he was not ready to represent his country.

The match against Serbia, which the Netherlands won 2-1 in October, marked Van Dijk’s 100th international appearance. His withdrawal is a significant loss for the team because of his leadership and importance in defence.

Brobbey has also been ruled out despite featuring in Sunderland’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday. The Dutch Football Association confirmed that he was not fully fit to take part in the upcoming internationals.

The forward started the Netherlands’ Nations League opener against Germany in September, but was forced off after slightly more than 30 minutes. He subsequently missed the matches against Serbia and Greece.

Hernandez has decided not to call up replacements for either player, leaving the Netherlands squad with 23 members for the two fixtures.

The Netherlands will host Greece in Amsterdam on Friday before travelling to Berlin to face Germany on Monday. They will be aiming to finish their group-stage campaign as strongly as possible.