Which 23 Players Should Patrick Kluivert Take Against China?

The head coach of the Indonesian national team, Patrick Kluivert, has called up a large squad of 32 players to undergo training camp ahead of the final two matches of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Although all players will participate in training in Bali starting May 26, only 23 players will be included in the match roster.

In preparation for facing China in Jakarta on June 5 and Japan in Osaka on June 10, Kluivert has summoned an average of five players for each position, including goalkeeper, center-back, right-back, left-back, central midfielder, and forward. A total of 18 diaspora players from the 19 available names have been called up. Only Ragnar Oratmangoen is absent due to injury.

"Due to injury, I could not join the team for the last two matches in this (third) round. There is no place more honorable on the field than to fight for Garuda, but health is the top priority," said Ragnar in a statement on his personal Instagram account, @0ratmangoen, on Sunday (18/5/2025).

"I will do everything this summer to be 100 percent fit at the start of the new season. For now: good luck and stay positive," he continued.

In addition to the key diaspora players, Kluivert also included three local players who are pursuing their careers abroad, namely Marselino Ferdinan (Oxford United), Pratama Arhan (Bangkok United), and "the lost child," Asnawi Mangkualam (Port FC), who was not included in the squad for the match in March 2025.

The Dutch tactician has called up 11 players who are active in the BRI Liga 1 2024-2025. They include the trio of goalkeepers: Ernando Ari (Persebaya Surabaya), Reza Arya Pratama (PSM Makassar), and Nadeo Argawinata (Borneo FC); center-back, Rizky Ridho (Persija Jakarta); midfielder, Ricky Kambuaya (Dewa United); wingers: Yance and Yakob Sayuri (Malut United); as well as forwards: Septian Bagaskara and Egi Maulana Vikri (Dewa United), Stefano Lilipaly (Borneo FC), and Ramadhan Sananta (Persis Solo).

Kluivert once again did not include any players from Persib Bandung, the champions of Liga 1 this season. In fact, Maung Bandung has a young attacking midfielder, Beckham Putra, who has performed brilliantly.

With a collection of six goals and three assists in 28 matches, Beckham is not an ordinary player. The absence of Marselino due to accumulated cards during the match against China should have opened the opportunity for Beckham to be called up; however, Kluivert instead summoned the naturalized player from Borneo FC, Stefano Lilipaly, who has only played twice in Liga 1 during May after recovering from an injury last February.

Out of the 32 names, Kluivert will determine 23 players who will be included in the roster for the matches against China and Japan. Who deserves the opportunity to play?

For the match against China, Maarten Paes (Dallas FC) is confirmed to be absent due to accumulating yellow cards. This situation opens up the opportunity for Emil Audero (Palermo) to make his debut for the Garuda squad.

Emil also had no problem joining the national team training camp on time. Because, Palermo has been eliminated in the Serie A promotion playoff round.

Three goalkeepers in Liga 1 will compete for two positions as Emil's deputies in goal. Ernando is unlikely to be excluded as he is the best local goalkeeper in Liga 1 this season.

Despite facing recurring shoulder injuries, Ernando played for Persebaya in 24 matches. His average goals conceded was only 0.95 goals per game. This record of goals conceded can only be matched by Dewa's goalkeeper, Sonny Stevens, who recorded the most clean sheets in 13 matches.

Ernando may have only recorded seven matches without conceding a goal, but his collection of saves per match reaches 77 percent of the total shots faced. At a minimum, Ernando makes three saves per match.

One place becomes a competition between Nadeo and Reza. In terms of experience in the national team, Nadeo is much more mature with a collection of 24 caps. Meanwhile, Reza has never competed with the Garuda symbol on his chest.

However, Reza already has experience in international games. The 25-year-old goalkeeper gained this experience with PSM in the AFC Cup 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, as well as in the ASEAN Club Championship 2024-2025.

In Liga 1, Nadeo appeared in 29 matches. He conceded 28 goals and made 77 saves, averaging 2.6 saves per match. Nadeo's shortcomings include committing seven errors that resulted in opponent shots. One negative aspect of Nadeo is his collection of two red cards this season.

The call-up to the Indonesian national team signifies Reza's resurgence after suffering a severe injury. He made his appearance for PSM in December 2024. Reza has become a mainstay for PSM in 16 matches during the second half of this season.

In terms of goals conceded per match, Reza is below Nadeo with a record of 1.4 goals per match. However, Reza is able to achieve an average of three saves per match.

He has also only been recorded making two mistakes that resulted in shots for the opponent. In terms of discipline, Reza is better than Nadeo as he has not yet received a card penalty from the referee.

Estimated player choices versus China: Emil Audero, Ernando Ari, and Nadeo Argawinata

Five central defenders called up by Kluivert, namely Ridho, Jay Idzes (Venezia), Justin Hubner (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Jordi Amat (Johor Darul Ta’zim), and Mees Hilgers (Twente), have a strong chance of being included in the two matches against China and Japan.

Their main obstacle is injury. In addition, one of the five central defenders could be absent during the visit to Japan if they receive an accumulation of yellow cards in the match against China. This could happen to Jay Idzes.

Estimated player choices versus China: Jay Idzes, Rizky Ridho, Mees Hilgers, Jordi Amat, and Justin Hubner.

Five out of six central midfielders called up by Kluivert are struggling to be excluded from the match against China. Marselino is the only key midfielder who cannot play against China due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

The duo of anchor midfielders, Thom Haye and Joey Pelupessy, has become difficult to disrupt by other players for inclusion in the starting lineup. The most suitable replacement for Marselino is Ricky. The Dewa United player also plays a significant role as an attacking midfielder to support Dewa's midfield alongside the imported defensive midfielder, Alexis Messidoro, and Jaja.

Ricky has contributed with two goals and three assists in Liga 1 this season. He has a commendable passing accuracy with a rate of 87 percent. Not only does he serve his teammates with an average of one key pass per game, but Ricky also skillfully creates moments with an average of 2.6 successful dribbles per match.

Not to be outdone, he was able to recover ball possession at least five times and win 7.5 duels per match. With an irreplaceable performance at Dewa, Ricky is quite deserving of starting from the kickoff in the Garuda squad's match.

The last time he was a key player for the Indonesian national team was during the match against the Philippines in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on November 21, 2023. Ricky's competitors are Ivar Jenner, who plays a more defensive role similar to Joey, and Nathan Tjoe-A-On, who has been absent from club level appearances with Swansea City since August 2024.

Expected player choices versus China: Thom Haye, Joey Pelupessy, Ivar Jenner, Ricky Kambuaya, and Nathan Tjoe-A-On.

There are 10 wing players called up by Kluivert, consisting of five players in the left wing-back position and five others for the right wing-back position. At least six players will be selected for the match against China. As a result, four players will be eliminated to secure a chance to play in the final match at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium during the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Two left-handed players, namely Calvin Verdonk and Dean James, possess above-average quality compared to the other three players. They are regular players in their respective teams in the Dutch League this season.

Kluivert needs a maximum of two more names to fill the left wing-back position. Arhan possesses long throw-in capabilities that will be very useful for Indonesia. The only goal for Indonesia during their 1-2 loss to China in October 2024 originated from the signature throw-in of the player trained by PSIS Semarang.

Shayne Pattynama and Yance Sayuri will be considered to fill the remaining quota for left-back positions. Referring to this season's performance, Yance is clearly ahead of Shayne.

Yance is the most brilliant left wing-back in Liga 1 2024-2025. He contributed to seven goals for Malut, including a hat-trick in the game against PSIS, Friday (16/5/2025) yesterday. He has appeared in 31 of Malut's 33 matches until this week. What's even more amazing is that Yance played 30 matches in full, aka 90 minutes.

Yance's advantage is that he can play on both wings. His left and right feet are equally strong, so he can play equally well in the right wing-back position. This versatile ability is certainly very useful for the Garuda squad.

Meanwhile, Shayne has been excluded from the KAS Eupen squad this season. He only appeared in 16 matches, with seven games as a starting player. His average playing time is only 46 minutes per match.

Without contributing any goals, Shayne should have been considered for exclusion from the Garuda squad against China. In the 2025-2026 season, Shayne will also be leaving Europe. He will join the Thai League champions, Buriram.

Expected player choices versus China: Calvin Verdonk, Dean James, Pratama Arhan, andYance Sayuri.

For the right wing position, Kevin Diks is likely to not appear against China because he is not fully fit due to a hamstring injury since early April. Kevin's role will be needed more when facing Japan which is much stronger than China.

Even without Kevin, Indonesia still has two diaspora wing backs, namely Sandy Walsh and Eliano Reijnders. Playing together for Yokohama Marinos in Japan, Sandy is more dominant in the center back position, with an average of 61 minutes per match over seven appearances.

Eliano showed improvement at the end of the season with PEC Zwolle. He played as a key player and completed all five matches in the Dutch League this season. His performance was highlighted by a record of one goal.

Then, considering his performance in Liga 1, Yakob should not have been excluded from the lineup in the match against China. His collection of 10 goals and four assists is evidence that Yakob is one of the brightest local players in the national top competition.

Yakob's goal tally is only surpassed by Egy, who has scored 12 goals. The two wingers are the most prolific local players in Liga 1 2024-2025.

Similar to Yance, Yakob also possesses the ability to play in multiple positions. In addition to being a wing-back, Yakob can perform equally well in the role of a winger.

Given the situation, Asnawi's position is at risk. The Port FC player may potentially fail to increase his appearances for the Indonesian national team, which has reached 50 matches.

Asnawi has actually performed well with Port, recording 28 matches. In addition to playing as a right wing-back, he has also frequently played in the left wing-back position during the 2024-2025 Thailand League.

Expected starting lineups versus China:Sandy Walsh, Eliano Reijnders, and Yakob Sayuri.

Of the six forwards called up by Kluivert, only two have secured their positions. They are Ole Romeny and Egy. Ole has demonstrated his quality by scoring two goals in his first two matches representing the Indonesian national team.

On the other hand, Egy was hindered by an injury that prevented him from participating in the match last March against Australia and Bahrain. With 12 goals and seven assists this season, Egy has demonstrated a level of quality that is difficult for other forwards in the Garuda squad to match.

Another name that Kluivert may choose from the four forwards he has called up is Ramadhan Sananta, who is the top candidate to be included in the lineup against China. He has consistently appeared as a substitute in the first two matches under Kluivert's leadership of Indonesia.

Rafael Struick is no longer deemed fit to play for the Garuda squad, considering his performance with Brisbane Roar. He has not been included in the lineup of Brisbane since March.

During his loan period at Brisbane, Rafael has only played twice since the kickoff from 10 appearances. His average playing time is also less than half an hour per match. He has only played 25 minutes per game.

Two players from Liga 1, Septian Bagaskara and Stefano Lilipaly, must deliver exceptional performances during the training camp in Bali if they wish to be included in the squad. Septian, for instance, has only added one goal since being called up for the match against Australia last March. He has played three matches as a starter in the last six games for Dewa.

Stefano has just recovered from an injury he sustained since February. He appeared in two matches for Borneo this May against Madura United and Persebaya Surabaya. In both games, Stefano played in the middle of the second half.

Expected player choices versus China: Ole Romeny, Egy Maulana Vikri, and Ramadhan Sananta.

Statistical data certainly explains the performance of players, whether they can be consistent throughout a full season of competition. However, in the end, the coach—in this case, Kluivert—also has his own assessment that goes beyond data and numbers.