Meeting with the colleagues of the club in the match Indonesia vs Japan, Verdonk: I will kick him until he hurts

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.TV – Indonesian national team defender Calvin Verdonk will meet his NEC Nijmegen teammate Koki Ogawa in a Group C match in the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian zone.

Ogawa is expected to be the main striker for the Japanese National Team when they meet Indonesia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, next Friday (15/11/2024).

The reason is that Japan lost their main striker, Ayase Ueda, who was injured.

As a team player at club level, Verdonk admitted that he had spoken to Ogawa about Friday’s game. Verdonk joked that he would face Ogawa until he was injured.

“Yes, of course, we joke with each other. “With Ogawa I told him that I would give him a kick so that he would be injured when he returned to the club,” he said in Jakarta, Tuesday (12/11), quoted from Between.

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“But it was just a joke. Also with the other Japanese players, they were joking about this game, everyone watches this game.”

“But we never talk about tactics, only about players and teams. So (tactics and strategy) will be a surprise for them,” continued the 27-year-old player.

Verdonk admitted that he was always ready to submit in any situation.

At NEC Nijmegen, Verdonk is usually used as a left back. However, the coach of the Indonesian national team, Shin Tae-yong, played him several times as a central defender.

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“For me it’s not difficult. In my club I sometimes play like middle back,Verdonk continued.

“So for me it doesn’t matter which position I’m in. I think with my quality, I can play in both positions, so it’s not a problem for me,” he said.