Xavi and Klopp set for international coaching debuts in Netherlands-Germany clash

European football rivals Netherlands and Germany face off on Thursday in the Nations League in Amsterdam, marking the international managerial debuts for both Xavi and Jürgen Klopp. Both teams enter this match under new leadership following the departures of Ronald Koeman and Julian Nagelsmann, who left their posts after both countries were eliminated in the round of 32 at the World Cup in North America this summer. Klopp has chosen a unique approach by picking 44 players across two separate squads for Germany's four Nations League fixtures. His first group of 24 players will play against the Netherlands and Greece, while a second group takes over for the remaining two games. Liverpool player Florian Wirtz belongs to the second group and will not play in Amsterdam. Meanwhile, the Netherlands have appointed Xavi as their new coach, making him their first foreign manager since Ernst Happel led the team to the 1978 World Cup final. Virgil van Dijk continues as team captain, but Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst were left out of Xavi's initial squad selection. Both nations compete in League A Group 2 alongside Serbia and Greece. In their previous encounter, Germany secured a 1-0 victory against the Netherlands in Munich.