Denmark, Italy, Netherlands and Poland prepare for World Cup with June 3 friendlies

Four European sides use Wednesday evening’s international friendlies to sharpen their squads ahead of the World Cup, with Denmark, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands all in action on June 3.

Denmark kick off against DR Congo at 7pm BST at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne in Belgium, while Italy vs Luxembourg, Poland vs Nigeria and the Netherlands vs Algeria all begin at 7:45pm UK time. Italy travel to the Stade de Luxembourg, Poland host Nigeria at the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, and the Netherlands face Algeria at the Stadion Feijenoord.

Denmark manager Brian Riemer heads into the fixture with notable absences. Kasper Schmeichel has stepped away from football following a serious shoulder injury, while Jannik Vestergaard and Christian Norgaard have both retired from international duty after Denmark failed to qualify for the World Cup. DR Congo manager Sébastien Desabre could hand starts to Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe in defence, with Noah Sadiki also in contention.

Italy are under caretaker manager Silvio Baldini following their World Cup qualification failure, and the squad features several players who could earn their first senior caps — Davide Bartesaghi, Samuele Inacio and Honest Ahanor among them. Gianluigi Donnarumma remains one of the few established names included. Luxembourg captain Laurent Jans leads a more experienced visiting side, with Daniel Sinani and Vincent Thill expected to lead the attack.

Poland manager Jan Urban is expected to rotate his squad, though Robert Lewandowski starts as the senior focal point up front. Mateusz Zukowski and Oskar Wojcik may earn second caps either from the start or off the bench. Nigeria could be without Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman due to fitness concerns and ongoing transfer situations, though Wilfred Ndidi and Moses Simon are available.

The Netherlands are without Stefan de Vrij, Matthijs de Ligt and Xavi Simons for both this fixture and the upcoming tournament. Crysencio Summerville is among those in contention to fill the gaps in the squad.