KHARKOV, UKRAINE - JUNE 09: Jetro Willems of Netherlands on the ball during the UEFA EURO 2012 group B match between Netherlands and Denmark at Metalist Stadium on June 9, 2012 in Kharkov, Ukraine. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
New eras begin for Belgium and the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Belgium didn't qualify for Euro 2012, inexplicably. Their talent is now to the point where they should not fail to qualify for any major competition, including the 2014 World Cup. Their preparation for qualifying begins on Wednesday, when they take on a rebuilding Netherlands team.
Radja Nainggolan, Maarten Martens, Vincent Kompany and Marouane Fellaini are not in the squad, but Belgium has their first team for the most part. The Netherlands and new boss Louis van Gaal have most of their stars available, but van Gaal is taking this friendly as an opportunity to take a look at some new players. Midfielder Adam Maher, striker Bas Dost and a whole slew of young defenders are going to get their shots at playing for the national team on Wednesday.
Defense is the biggest area of concern for the Oranje, and van Gaal will be depending on a couple of the uncapped youngsters he's called in to become part of his regular squad, along with Jetro Willems, an 18-year-old who was shaky at Euro 2012.
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium
TV: ESPN Deportes
Streaming: ESPN3
We'll have live updates of this and other friendlies on Wednesday in our international friendlies StoryStream.
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