Coach Fred Rutte giving instructions
CANBERRA--Curaçao’s national team completed its final training session ahead of a friendly match today, Friday against China in Australia. The session took place at the facilities of Western Sydney Wanderers, located near Sydney’s Olympic Park.
Head coach Fred Rutten kept the training relatively light, using the opportunity to finalise his starting line-up. According to the technical staff, the squad is both physically and mentally prepared for the early morning encounter.
However, the team was not yet at full strength. Several selected players including Armando Obispo, Deveron Fonville and Jürgen Locadia did not join them.
Obispo and Fonville are both dealing with minor injuries, but with expectations that they will be fit again for their respective clubs after the international break. Locadia’s absence was also confirmed, though details surrounding his situation were not specified.
The game against China will be played at Accor Stadium and is scheduled to kick off at 2:00am Curaçao time. The fixture forms part of the Dutch Caribbean country’s build-up for the World Cup 2026, where they will compete in the group stage against Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast.
Curaçao will also play a friendly against Australia next Tuesday as part of its preparation programme. The training camp in Australia is seen as an important step in fine-tuning the squad and building cohesion under the new coaching leadership.
