Saturday will see the continuation of the 2026 World Cup with some very enticing matchups that also feature key players from a Liverpool perspective.
It was a largely positive opening round of fixtures for the Reds representing their nations, In addition to a key transfer target also putting in a Man of the Match performance. All of those players will be going head-to-head on Saturday in some capacity.
The Netherlands, led by Virgil van Dijk, will kickoff against Sweden and a red-hot Alexander Isak to begin the day's action. This will be followed by Florian Wirtz and Germany locking horns with Liverpool top transfer target Yan Diomande and the Ivory Coast in what should be a great watch.
Let's dive a little deeper into some key things you should watch from a Liverpool point of view.
Virgil van Dijk versus Alexander Isak
Both of these guys scored in the opening fixture of their respective World Cup campaigns. Van Dijk netted a strong header in Netherlands' draw with Japan, while Isak scored and starred for Sweden as they romped to a 5-1 win over Tunisia.
Their battle on Saturday could go a long way towards deciding who gets the right result after 90 minutes.
Isak has shown a willingness once again to get wide and attack with vigor, so it will be interesting to see if he can pull van Dijk from his preferred spots, which could also create room for his strike partner Viktor Gyökeres.
Liverpool's record breaking signing has been playing with extreme confidence for Sweden in the last month, and a lot of what they do in attack will flow through him. His strong pressing led to an easy goal against Tunisia as well, so van Dijk will need to be alert at all times in this one.
If Virgil can use his strength and positioning early against Isak, it could knock him off his rhythm, which in turn would see the Swedes need to reshuffle their attack plans.
This individual matchup feels like a huge one in what could be a tight match.
Can Gravenberch shine again in his new role?
One of the important takeaways from the Netherlands-Japan opening draw was the play, and positioning, of Ryan Gravenberch.
He was used in a more advanced role on the right side of the midfield, operating in more of an 8 spot that saw him attempt 20 of his 25 passes for the match in Japan's side of the pitch.
He bagged an assist for both Dutch goals. The first, coming from a fine cross that found van Dijk's head in the box, and the second coming after Gravenberch carried past two Japanese defenders before rolling a fine ball to Crysencio Summerville to finish at the far post.
Ronald Koeman should have seen enough to deploy Grav in that role again, and there should be room to operate against a Sweden team that has been playing pretty aggressively in recent weeks.
One of the things he does best is turn defense into attack quickly, and if he can carry the ball forward and progress often, it could be another sterling day for Gravenberch and the Netherlands.
Florian Wirtz and Yan Diomande must shine again
During Germany's 7-1 rout of Curacao, Wirtz nabbed himself an assist and played well, but it was an overall team destruction as the Germans had a field day, mostly in the second half.
The competition definitely gets harder as they face the Ivory Coast, who played well in their opening match at the World Cup and offer a much more serious threat. They have a lot more weapons in midfield that could slow Germany down, so Wirtz will need to be locked in from the start of this one.
He has been doing his best work for his country over the last 12 months, so they will need to rely on him once again to create magic when there might not be anything in it.
Look for Liverpool's No. 7 to have an important role in deciding the outcome of this one.
Another player that should have a huge influence on this match is Reds top transfer target Yan Diomande. During the week Liverpool had a package of €100 million rejected for the Ivorian winger, and if he puts in another Man of the Match showing, the price could keep going up.
He was lethal carrying the ball, dribbling, creating chances and just being an all-around attacking menace for his team. He was instrumental in their 1-0 win over Ecuador and he'll need to be again.
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