Former Celtic star and Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk has warned his Netherlands’ team-mates about the intense atmosphere they are about to encounter when they face Kazakhstan in a Euro 2016 qualifier tomorrow.
Van Dijk had two splendid seasons at Celtic Park, where he won two successive league titles with the Scottish giants. His stock rose steadily during his stint with the Hoops and earlier this summer he finally earned himself a move to Southampton of the English Premier League.
His displays have now earned him a call-up to the Netherlands national team for their upcoming must-win fixtures against Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic as they attempt to qualify for Euro 2016 due to be held in France next summer.
Van Dijk, who played for the Hoops in Astana in a European Cup fixture in 2013, has warned his team-mates to anticipate an intense atmosphere.
"I've been here in 2013 with Celtic”, he told Voetbal Primeur.
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“The fans made a cauldron of it. We should not underestimate Kazakhstan and should be ready for the worst.”
It later came to light that Celtic’s opponents Shakhter Karagandy had performed a highly controversial animal sacrifice as a good luck charm. The Kazakhs went on to win 2-0 that day, and Van Dijk commented that the sacrifice did its job.
"That worked out well for them."
