Soccer

Dutch bring Bouma in for finals

Soccer: Defenders Wilfred Bouma and Jetro Willems were the surprise names in the Netherlands squad for Euro 2012 with Vurnon…

Sat May 26 2012 - 01:00

Soccer:Defenders Wilfred Bouma and Jetro Willems were the surprise names in the Netherlands squad for Euro 2012 with Vurnon Anita, Siem de Jong, Adam Maher and Jeremain Lens all missing out.

Coach Bert van Marwijk cut his provisional 27-man squad to the required 23 ahead of a friendly against Bulgaria in Amsterdam later on Saturday.

PSV Eindhoven's Bouma, 33, won his last cap for the Dutch during the previous Euro finals four years ago against Romania while 18-year-old Willems still has to make his debut.

Willems came into the PSV team this season and replaced Van Marwijk's first choice Erik Pieters, who is out for months with a broken foot.

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Seven players from the English Premier League make the squad, including two of the goalkeepers in Tim Krul of Newcastle and Swansea’s Michel Vorm. Everton’s Johnny Heitinga is named amongst the defenders, while midfielders

Nigel de Jong of Manchester City and Spurs’ Rafael van der Vaart are named amongst the midfilders, while Arsenal striker Robin van Persie and Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt complete the list.

The Dutch play Slovakia on Wednesday and Northern Ireland next Saturday in their final two friendlies before they travel to their base in the Polish city of Krakow.

The 2010 World Cup runners-up will start their Euro campaign on June 9th against Denmark in Ukraine's Kharkiv before facing Germany and Portugal in Group B.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers:Maarten Stekelenburg (AS Roma), Tim Krul (Newcastle United), Michel Vorm (Swansea City).

Defenders:Khalid Boulahrouz (VFB Stuttgart), Wilfred Bouma (PSV Eindhoven), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Malaga), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax Amsterdam, Jetro Willems (PSV Eindhoven).

Midfielders:Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona), Mark van Bommel (PSV Eindhoven), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Stijn Schaars (Sporting), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan), Kevin Strootman (PSV Eindhoven), Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur).

Forwards:Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04), Luuk de Jong (Twente Enschede), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Luciano Narsingh (Heerenveen), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich).