The World Cup Round of 16 officially begins on Saturday as the Netherlands locks horns with the USMNT in Al Rayyan, Qatar. However, the Dutch are dealing with a flu outbreak at the moment, as manager Louis Van Gaal alluded to on Friday. While he wouldn't reveal which players are ill, Van Gaal expressed it is slightly concerning.

Via Yahoo Sports:

“We are not going to elaborate on that. But if it goes around in the group, it is worrying.”

The boss also said he gave the boys a day off training to get right for Saturday:

“I gave them a day of rest,” Van Gaal added. “With this group, they communicate that to me. I listen to my players.”

The Netherlands is heavily favored to beat the Americans, but if it does end up being any key players who are sick, it could definitely change the outcome here. The likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Frenkie de Jong, and Memphis Depay are regulars Holland cannot be without.

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Gakpo in particular has been the heartbeat of the Dutch attack, scoring three goals in as many appearances. The PSV Eindhoven star is garnering interest from a number of different European giants ahead of the January transfer window and his stock is only rising in this World Cup.

Van Gaal also spoke out on the challenge the Americans present for the Netherlands:

“The USA has an excellent team. I would say one of the best teams, fine-tuned. It’s going to be a very tough match,” he said. “But it’s nothing we can’t overcome. We also have a good team, that’s my view. We’ll have to wait and see in this match which of the two squads is the best.”

I suppose we'll see which players are absent or not at 100% come Saturday.