According to Voetbal International, Bart Verbruggen will start between the sticks for the Netherlands in their Euro qualifier against Ireland on Saturday. National team boss Ronald Koeman has confirmed that the Brighton goalkeeper will start ahead of Mark Flekken and Justin Bijlow.
Bart Verbruggen made his senior Netherlands debut during last month’s international break. At the time, Justin Bijlow was recovering from an injury and Brentford’s Mark Flekken was unwell. Now that all three goalkeepers are fit, Verbruggen will retain his starting place. Speaking in his press conference on Tuesday, Koeman said ‘I think it makes sense that Bart is in goal based on the last two games.’
The 21-year-old shot-stopper has featured seven times across all competitions so far this season, helping his side reach eighth place in the Premier League table. Brentford’s Mark Flekken has also impressed since joining the West London club from Freiburg in the summer. He’s kept three clean sheets in eleven league appearances. The 30-year-old will have to wait for his next national team appearance.
