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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Rickie Lambert announces retirement

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SAINTS legend Rickie Lambert has announced his retirement from football.

The 35-year-old striker has been without a club since leaving Cardiff after Premier League spells with Saints, Liverpool and West Brom.

Lambert scored three goals in 11 appearances for England and became a Saints legend after firing the club to double promotions to the Premier League from League One.

The legendary frontman, who was known as Southampton’s Goal Machine and was signed for just £1m from Bristol Rovers in August 2009, then helped Saints establish themselves as a Premier League force, before leaving for boyhood heroes Liverpool in the summer of 2014.

He announced his decision to stop playing in a statement on Monday.

It read: "I feel lucky to have been involved in this sport for as long as I have.

"I have had some ups and downs in my career but to have represented clubs like Southampton, Liverpool and playing for my country in a World Cup were beyond my wildest dreams.

"Playing and scoring for England is probably my proudest professional moment and I will look back at every aspect of how I got there with fond memories.

"I would like to thank the fans of all the clubs I played for but especially Southampton where I enjoyed my best years as a footballer and had a special relationship with everyone connected to the club.

"Thank you to all the players I have played with and managers I have played for throughout my career. It was an honour to work with you all.

"Thank you to my family and friends who have been always there for me, especially my gorgeous wife Amy.

“I will be taking a break for a while to spend some quality time with my family just being a husband and father. In the future I hope to give back as best I can to the game that has given me so much.”

Lambert, who helped Saints win the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in 2010, netted 117 times in 235 appearances for Saints before making a £4m switch to Liverpool.

After one season at Anfield, he joined West Bromwich Albion for £3m and later went to Cardiff, where his contract was cancelled by mutual consent in the summer.

He’ll be remembered by Saints for his eye for goal and incredible penalty-taking abilities, but mainly for being an integral part of the club’s fairytale rise back up to the Premier League.

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Power Rankings Premier League best XI so far

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Kane? Lukaku? Richarlison? We use the Sky Sports Power Rankings to see who makes the best Premier League XI so far…

As the top flight takes a break for the second international break of the season, now is a good time to assess the top performers of the 2017/18 season up to this point.

Manchester City and Manchester United lead the way at the top of the Premier League - but how many of their players would make it into a best XI based on performances so far this term?

Here, we use the stats-based Sky Sports Power Rankings to select a team of standout players from the first seven games of the campaign…

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has been beaten just twice so far this season, and takes his place between the sticks in this XI. The Spaniard conceded both of those goals in one game against Stoke - meaning he has kept six clean sheets in seven games.

Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta takes up the right-back slot in our 4-3-3. Apart from a disastrous opening-day defeat at home to Burnley, in which Chelsea conceded three, the defending champions have been solid so far this season. The Spanish defender has been key to the Blues keeping things tight.

Manchester City have recorded five clean sheets from seven Premier League games this season and Nicolas Otamendi has played in each of those games, helping Pep Guardiola’s side make a significant improvement on their previous concerns defensively.

Huddersfield may have suffered at the hands of Tottenham on Saturday, but before that 4-0 defeat they had conceded just three goals in their first six Premier League fixtures. German centre-back Christopher Schindler has been instrumental in that good start.

An injury to Danny Rose looked like it could have been a problem for Tottenham, who place plenty of importance on their wing-backs, but Wales international Ben Davies has stepped up with a series of impressive performances. He’s eighth in the Power Rankings overall, after adding two goals and two assists to the team’s three clean sheets.

With five assists and a goal to his name, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has already surpassed his goal contributions in the Premier League from last season. The creator has been a key attacking threat in United’s impressive start.

De Bruyne scored a stunning winner against his former club Chelsea on Saturday, capping a fine start to the season in which the Belgian has assisted three other goals for his City team-mates. Fourth in the Power Rankings overall, he’s the top-rated midfielder after seven games.

Watford’s summer signing Richarlison is fast making himself a fan favourite. The Brazil forward scored a last-minute winner against Swansea last week before netting in the 95th minute at West Brom to grab a point for his side on Saturday.

It’s no surprise Premier League top scorer Romelu Lukaku features in this XI. The Belgian has scored seven goals already this season, scoring in six of his first seven league appearances for United.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane is currently the Premier League’s top performing player, according to the Power Rankings. After failing to score in August, he now has six Premier League goals to his name - and is well in the hunt for a third straight golden boot.

Prior to being injured in a car crash last week, Sergio Aguero was showing remarkable form for table-toppers City. The Argentine striker has six goals and three assists to his name and completes a mouth-watering front three in our line-up.

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Former Southampton and England striker Rickie Lambert retires from football

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Former Southampton and England striker Rickie Lambert has announced his retirement from football at the age of 35.

Lambert, who won 11 caps and scored three times for England, has called time on his career after playing 701 games, scoring 241 goals.

He began his career at Blackpool in 1998, before going on to represent Macclesfield, Stockport, Rochdale, Bristol Rovers, Southampton, Liverpool, West Brom and Cardiff across all four divisions.

The former striker won promotion at every level, most notably with Southampton where he reached the Premier League in 2012.

In 2013, Lambert was called up to the England squad by Roy Hodgson and later made the dream international debut when scoring with his first touch of the match against Scotland.

“I feel lucky to have been involved in this sport for as long as I have,” Lambert said in a statement.

"I have had some ups and downs in my career but to have represented clubs like Southampton, Liverpool and playing for my country in a World Cup were beyond my wildest dreams.

"Playing and scoring for England is probably my proudest professional moment and I will look back at every aspect of how I got there with fond memories.

"I would like to thank the fans of all of the clubs I played for but especially at Southampton where I enjoyed my best years as a footballer and had a special relationship with everyone connected to the club.

“I will be taking a break for a while to spend some quality time with my family just being a husband and father. In the future I hope to give back as best I can to the game that has given me so much.”

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Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 02/10/2017 15:44:48

| | Rickie Lambert retires after fairytale careerNBCSPORTS |
|

| Advocaat calls up Virgil van Dijk for World Cup qualifiersWASHINGTONPOST |
|

| Southampton: Virgil van Dijk earns Netherlands call-upFANSIDEDSAINTSMARCHING |
| | Rickie Lambert calls time on his playing careerREADLIVERPOOL |
| | Rickie Lambert retires from playing footballREADSOUTHAMPTON |
| | Van Dijk called up to Netherlands squadSPORTSMOLE |
| | Former Rovers favourite Rickie Lambert retires from footballBRISTOLPOST |

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Sourced from Daily Mail article

Van Dijk gets late Holland call after surviving first Saints start

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Holland head coach Dick Advocaat has called up Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk to bolster his back line for two crucial World Cup qualifiers.

Van Dijk was overlooked last week when Advocaat named a 24-man squad for the final Group A matches, against Belarus and Sweden.

However, Van Dijk got a belated summons on Monday after starting his first match for Southampton this season in Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Stoke City.

The defender will report with the rest of the Dutch team to Hotel ter Duin, where the players are due at 8.30pm (CET).

The Dutch are third in Group A, four points behind France and three points adrift of Sweden.

Holland, a three-time World Cup runner-up, are struggling to make their second straight major tournament, after failing to qualify for last year’s European Championships in France.

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Rickie Lambert retires

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The striker revealed the decision today, bringing down the curtain on a fantastic career that was highlighted by a sensational five years at Saints.

Lambert signed from Bristol Rovers in 2009, when the club was in League One, and would go on to score 117 goals in 235 appearances for the club, helping establish Southampton as a top-ten Premier League side before securing a dream move to boyhood club Liverpool.

“I feel lucky to have been involved in this sport for as long as I have,” said Lambert in a statement.

"I have had some ups and downs in my career but to have represented clubs like Southampton, Liverpool and playing for my country in a World Cup were beyond my wildest dreams.

"Playing and scoring for England is probably my proudest professional moment and I will look back at every aspect of how I got there with fond memories.

"I would like to thank the fans of all the clubs I played for but especially Southampton where I enjoyed my best years as a footballer and had a special relationship with everyone connected to the club.

"Thank you to all the players I have played with and managers I have played for throughout my career. It was an honour to work with you all.

"Thank you to my family and friends who have been always there for me, especially my gorgeous wife Amy.

“I will be taking a break for a while to spend some quality time with my family just being a husband and father. In the future I hope to give back as best I can to the game that has given me so much.”

Everyone at Southampton would like to wish Rickie every success in his retirement.

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk handed Netherlands call-up

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Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk has been called up to the Netherlands squad for their crucial World Cup Qualifiers this week.

The defender was overlooked when head-coach Dick Advocaat named a 24-man squad for the final Group A matches, against Belarus and Sweden, on Friday.

However, Van Dijk got a last-minute call-up on Monday after starting for Southampton for the first time this season in Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Stoke City, playing the full 90 minutes.

The Netherlands are third in Group A, four points behind France and three points adrift of Sweden, and fighting for a place in Russia next summer.

The three-time World Cup runners-up must win both of their final two group games and overtake Sweden on goal difference in order to qualify.

Failure to reach next year’s World Cup will mark back-to-back major tournaments in which the Netherlands have failed to reach following their absence at Euro 2016 last year.

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Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 02/10/2017 16:45:02

| | Former Liverpool and England striker Lambert retiresFOURFOURTWO |
| | Saints star handed national recallCLUBCALL |

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| Rickie Lambert - A tribute to a true Southampton legend | The word ‘legend’ seems to be thrown around all too easily nowadays, but the description really is true of Rickie … 02-10-2017 |

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| Rickie Lambert retires from playing football16 hours ago |
| Pellegrino discusses Stoke defeat2 days ago |
| Southampton’s man of the match against Stoke2 days ago |
| Stoke City 2-1 Southampton: Match report2 days ago |
| Five Things Learned - Stoke (A)2 days ago |
| Southampton player ratings: Stoke (A)2 days ago |
| Three key Saints: Stoke (A)3 days ago |
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Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

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Check out our full October international guide to find out when #SaintsFC’s players are in action: http://sfcne.ws/OctGuide

Retweets: 4

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Saints stars chase World Cup places

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Defender Maya Yoshida has already helped Japan book their spot at next summer’s tournament, and there are a number of his Saints teammates who will be looking to follow suit in the coming days.

Ryan Bertrand and Fraser Forster will have a chance to do just that on Thursday, as England host Slovenia, at Wembley Stadium.

The maths is simple for the Three Lions – a win and they will seal a place at the finals, in Russia. A draw might still be good enough, while they also have the fall-back of a trip to Lithuania in their final Group F match on Sunday if they need it.

Dušan Tadić is in a similar position with Serbia, who lead the way in Group D and possess a four-point cushion over second-placed Wales.

Tadić and his teammates could wrap things up as early as Friday, when they visit Austria. Should they still require anything after that, they have a home game against Georgia to follow on Monday.

Defender Jan Bednarek could also be celebrating qualification with Poland, who top the Group E standings and require four points from Thursday’s trip to Armenia and Sunday’s home clash with Montenegro in order to guarantee reaching next year’s finals.

Things are a little less clear-cut for some of Saints’ other players in action this week.

Cédric and Portugal are currently second in Group B, three points behind leaders Switzerland, who they host in their final match next Tuesday.

Before that is a trip to Andorra, on Saturday, with six points from those two matches almost certainly enough to ensure that they will edge out the Swiss.

Second place should at least be enough for a play-off spot, with the best eight runners-up from the nine groups in the European qualification section advancing to that stage.

Shane Long and Republic of Ireland will hope to get one of those places. Currently third in Group D, Ireland are likely too far behind leaders Serbia to trouble them, but are just one point below Wales, who they visit in their final game, on Monday, following Friday’s home game with Moldova.

Wesley Hoedt and Virgil van Dijk, who are with the Netherlands, also have work to do if they are to make it to Russia.

The Dutch are third in Group A, ahead of their final two matches, with Saturday’s trip to Belarus followed by next Tuesday’s home clash with Sweden. Six points from those games would give them a chance of overhauling one or both of France, who are four points above them, and the Swedes, who are three ahead.

Manolo Gabbiadini and Italy are set for at least a play-off place, but will want to make sure they take maximum points from Friday’s home game against Macedonia and Monday’s visit to Albania, in case Group G leaders Spain, who are three points above them, slip up.

Steven Davis and Northern Ireland have already guaranteed second place in Group C. They will finish off with Thursday’s home game against leaders Germany, who are five points ahead, and Sunday’s trip to Norway.

In the Africa qualifying section, Mario Lemina and Gabon still have hopes alive as they embark on their penultimate match.

Gabon, who are third in their group, visit Morocco on Saturday in need of a win, as they trail their opponents by a point and leaders Ivory Coast by two. Only the group winners advance, but three points would keep them in contention when they host Mali in their final game next month.

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Sourced from ESPN FC article

Former Southampton, Liverpool and England striker Rickie Lambert retires

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Rickie Lambert has announced his retirement from football.

The 35-year-old striker has been without a club since leaving Cardiff, having spent spells in the Premier League with Southampton, Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion.

Lambert, who scored three goals in 11 appearances for England, announced his decision to stop playing in a statement on Monday.

“I have had some ups and downs in my career, but to have represented clubs like Southampton, Liverpool and playing for my country in a World Cup were beyond my wildest dreams,” he said.

“Playing and scoring for England is probably my proudest professional moment, and I will look back at every aspect of how I got there with fond memories.”

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

Find out how you can join #ThreeLions legend Peter Shilton for the #PL clash with #NUFC:

http://sfcne.ws/ShiltonQANewcastle

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Read Southampton

New content from (- Read Southampton)

| Southampton, Crystal Palace, Everton, West Ham keen on Arsenal attacker | Southampton are being linked with a somewhat surprising move for Arsenal winger Theo Walcott. It’s been claimed in … 02-10-2017 |

Older content…

| Rickie Lambert - A tribute to a true Southampton legend17 hours ago |
| Rickie Lambert retires from playing football17 hours ago |
| Pellegrino discusses Stoke defeat2 days ago |
| Southampton’s man of the match against Stoke2 days ago |
| Stoke City 2-1 Southampton: Match report2 days ago |
| Five Things Learned - Stoke (A)2 days ago |
| Southampton player ratings: Stoke (A)2 days ago |
| Three key Saints: Stoke (A)3 days ago |
| Last time out: Stoke (A)3 days ago |

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Sourced from Reuters.co.uk article

Van Dijk receives belated Dutch call-up

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AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Defender Virgil van Dijk, who only returned to Southampton’s starting line-up at the weekend, has been called up to the Netherlands squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, the Dutch football association (KNVB) said on Monday.

Van Dijk, 26, returns to the national side for the first time this year after injury ruled him out of matches in March and June. A transfer stand off with Southampton saw him miss the start of the new Premier League season and last month’s qualifying matches for Russia.

He came on as a substitute for the south coast side against Crystal Palace last month and made his first start on Saturday in the away defeat at Stoke City.

Van Dijk has 12 caps for the Netherlands, who must beat Belarus away in Borisov on Saturday and Sweden at home next Tuesday to have any chance of reaching the World Cup finals next year.

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Join Peter Shilton for Newcastle!

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The Three Lions’ record appearance-maker will be sitting down for a unique question and answer session with guests of the President’s Lounge and Terry Paine Lounge for the visit of the Magpies on Sunday 15 October.

Shilton enjoyed a five-season spell at Southampton, and captained his country while at the club at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. As one of the legends of the global game, this is not an opportunity to be missed.

Supporters can still secure their places in the President’s and Terry Paine Lounges for the game, with packages priced at £150 + VAT.

With top-quality food, an inclusive drinks package, attentive service, and the chance to hear from a true England great, it is a fantastic opportunity to watch Saints take on Newcastle in true style.

Make an enquiry online or call 02380 727768 to secure your place. Move now, tickets are selling out fast!

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Sourced from BBC article

Man City to win title ahead of Man Utd, with Palace facing the drop - says study

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Everybody loves an international window, right? A chance to take stock and check how our pre-season predictions are shaping up.

The Premier League season is only seven games old, but there are already several narratives that stand out.

Data company Gracenote Sports, which specialises in such forecasts, has updated its predicted title winners from Chelsea to Manchester City, while Crystal Palace’s fate looks like it has already been sealed down at the bottom.

Gracenote uses its Euro Club Index ranking of top-flight clubs and then runs season simulations one million times to predict the final table.

Chelsea had been the pre-season favourites with City expected to finish second and United down in fifth.

But the two Manchester clubs have enjoyed a blistering start to the season and have almost identical records, with just goal difference giving Pep Guardiola’s City side the advantage.

City have been given a 47% chance of winning the league, United have a 24% chance and Chelsea 13%.

“Unsurprisingly, the teams who were projected to finish in the top-six pre-season still are, but the exceptional starts of the two Manchester clubs have improved their expected points and positions at the end of the season,” said Gracenote Sports’ head of analysis Simon Gleave.

United’s and Tottenham’s form has pushed Arsenal down from third into fifth, with Liverpool staying sixth, while reigning champions Chelsea have dropped to third and Spurs stay fourth in the final Champions League qualification spot.

Crystal Palace, who began the season with Frank de Boer in charge before appointing Roy Hodgson, have lost all seven league games without scoring a goal.

A defeat in their next game against Chelsea will mean only the Manchester United team from 1931 will have gone on a longer losing streak in the top flight.

Hodgson’s side have also had the worst start to any Premier League season, with only the Portsmouth side from 2009-10, who were docked nine points, doing slightly better by at least scoring in their first seven defeats.

Palace’s dismal run stretches back into last season, when Sam Allardyce was in charge. They have only won once in their past 12 league games, a 4-0 win over Hull in May, and those four goals are the only goals in those 12.

Gracenote give the Eagles a 72% chance of being relegated.

“A start like Palace have had, even taking account of playing at both Manchester clubs and Liverpool, is going to be very tough to bounce back from and Palace are currently exhibiting a similar profile to Sunderland at this stage last season,” said Gleave.

Huddersfield were predicted to finish bottom at the start of the season and Gracenote says they were the Euro Club Index’s lowest-rated Premier League team since the rating system started in 2007.

Two wins from their opening two games put them second in the league, but they have drawn three and lost two of their past five games, dropping to 11th, and Gracenote thinks they will continue to fall down the table, finishing the season in 19th with a 43% chance of relegation.

Bournemouth are in 19th and are predicted to move up just one place to 18th, with the Cherries given a 37% chance of going down.

Swansea had been tipped for a mid-table finish by Gracenote but just one win in their opening fixture has seen them drop to 17th in the predicted table and in line for another relegation battle.

Sunday’s defeat by Burnley leaves Everton languishing in 17th. Much more was expected of Ronald Koeman’s side after spending £142m in the summer.

But Toffees fans can be buoyed by Gracenote’s prediction of them finishing seventh, the same as its pre-season prediction, albeit with fewer points.

Burnley have been one of the surprise packages so far and are in sixth after their best start to a Premier League campaign.

They had been tipped for the drop by Gracenote, but they are now predicted to finish in ninth.

Another earmarked for relegation had been Watford, but they are also doing better than expected and projected to finish 13th, while Newcastle are performing more or less as expected in mid-table.

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Sourced from talkSPORT article

Ryan Bertrand wants England to qualify for World Cup with win at Wembley

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Ryan Bertrand says there is still plenty of hard work ahead as England look to secure qualification for the World Cup.

The Three Lions have one foot in Russia ahead of their double-header of qualifiers against Slovenia and Lithuania.

They could qualify in the first of those appointments at Wembley on Thursday.

“It’s not over, we are very much of a positive mindset. The work isn’t finished and we will try to get the six points,” Bertrand said.

“All games internationally are tough. Slovenia will need the points but we need points as well.”

Bertrand wants to get the job done at Wembley rather than waiting to go to Lithuania.

“For me personally, with a fan’s head on, it would be nice to qualify in front of our fans, but we still have work to do.”

The behaviour of international sportsmen and women has been brought into the spotlight lately after England cricketer Ben Stokes was arrested.

Asked of the pressures of playing and living in the limelight, Bertrand added: "It comes with the game. Once you make that pledge to commit, you have to live by it. We are aware of our responsibilities 24/7.

“It is a way of life. You are not just representing yourself but your club and country and there’s great pressure.”

England will be boosted by the form of Harry Kane, who has scored 11 goals in his last six games for Tottenham.

Bertrand knows his team-mates will benefit from having such a form player in their side and has backed Kane to get the armband.

“He is in great form,” Bertrand added. "Him coming to the England camp in such fine form is a massive boost for the whole squad.

“(The captaincy) is completely down to the manager. ‘H’ gets my vote, what we are blessed with is we have a lot of leaders in the camp now and whoever is tasked with that duty on the night is deserving of that.”

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Bertrand: Southgate’s claim can motivate

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England defender Ryan Bertrand says manager Gareth Southgate’s claim that some players do not deserve their place in the squad will serve as motivation.

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Sourced from ESPN FC article

Netherlands call up Southampton defender Virgil Van Dijk

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Netherlands coach Dick Advocaat has added Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk to his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Sweden.

Van Dijk had been omitted from the 24-man squad named by Advocaat last week but was called up on Monday.

After a summer in which he was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, the central defender started for the first time this season in the 2-1 defeat at Stoke.

Netherlands are third in Group A, four points behind leaders France and three behind second-place Sweden, and travel to Belarus before hosting Sweden.

Group winners qualify automatically for next year’s World Cup in Russia, with the top eight second-placed teams advancing to European playoffs.

Sweden have a better goal difference than Netherlands so could lose one of their last two matches, against Luxembourg and the Dutch, and still finish at least second even if Advocaat’s side win both their games.

"The most important thing is that we win and then see how many goals we can score,’’ Advocaat said.

Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.

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