Virgil van Dijk's Harry Kane message will leave his Euro 2024 team-mates worried

Virgil van Dijk's mixed record against Harry Kane could be a cause for concern for his Netherlands team-mates ahead of the Euro 2024 semi-final against England.

The two will face off once again in Dortmund on Wednesday as both nations strive to make it to only their second-ever Euros final. Kane, who frequently clashed with the Liverpool defender during his Tottenham days, has an impressive track record against the 33-year-old.

The England captain has netted six times in 10 appearances against one of Europe's top centre-backs, and their personal duel will be key to the outcome, assuming Kane retains his spot. Wes Brown, the former Manchester United and England defender, believes Van Dijk's past encounters with Kane might be weighing on his and his team-mates' minds.

Speaking on Reach's new Euro Thrash podcast, available on YouTube, Apple and Spotify, Brown said: "Those little match-ups, they are talked about. Not just by pundits, but in the changing room.

"You know you do well against this person, that this person is the nightmare and always scores regardless whether he plays bad or not. They are personal battles that come into games.

"Six out of 10 for Kane against Van Dijk is not bad. I am not saying it was him who was marking him for all the goals, but ultimately Van Dijk will know that as well. Kane will get confidence from that, he will know that he has scored against him before and will want to do it again.

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There have been calls in some quarters for Kane to be dropped for the game following some quiet performances, but Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold has warned that benching Kane would be a gift to the Dutch side. He said: "Anyone facing England would like to see Harry Kane not playing. We're talking about England's record scorer.

"He's scored two in this tournament, helped us win games and, as our captain, leads by example and puts everything into games. People will always have opinions but he is leading us into a semi-final.

"He is part of the reason why the environment is such a good one in camp. And he is a reason why we're heading into a semi."

Watch and listen to Euro Thrash on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify with regular new episodes throughout Euro 2024.