Feyenoord will be without centre-back Jeremiah St. Juste for Tuesday evening’s Champions League match against Internazionale in Rotterdam, after he picked up a shin injury. NOS Sport reports that he will not return before the international break, which begins on Monday, and that the club does not yet know how long he will be out.
What happened
According to NOS Sport, St. Juste went off injured during Feyenoord’s recent league match against PSV. The diagnosis is a shin injury, and head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst confirmed at his press conference that the defender will miss the coming matches.
“Jeremiah is definitely not back before the international break. We will have to wait and see exactly how long he is out,” Van Bronckhorst said. He made no secret of his disappointment at losing an important regular starter. “It is a blow for him and also for his teammates and the staff, but we saw how strongly he came back last summer. In any case, it is news that did not make me happy.”
There was better news elsewhere in the squad. NOS Sport reports that Shaqueel van Persie and Reiss Nelson have recovered from injuries and return to the matchday squad. Jakub Moder is still missing. “He had some more tests today to see what he has,” the coach said.
The timing is awkward. Feyenoord have three points from their first three Champions League matches, all of them earned in the home win over Como. Inter are the second strong Italian side to visit Rotterdam in this campaign. In the build-up to the Como match three weeks ago, Feyenoord were in excellent form. Since then the results have dipped, and the Eredivisie leaders have now gone three matches without a win. They drew 1-1 with PSV and 1-1 with Fortuna Sittard, and lost 1-0 away at Real Betis.
Van Bronckhorst prefers to see it positively. “You could also say: lost once, and still unbeaten in the league. But the confidence is there in the team,” he said.
Wing-back Givairo Read told NOS Sport that the disappointing run has stirred something in the group. “A real shame, and it was also very unnecessary,” he said. “But I do not feel the mood is any different now. We are actually hungrier now, because we know we have to do better and demand more of each other.”
Read added: “It pushes us to do even better. We have to take the mistakes we made with us and do better. We create a lot, and if you score a lot of goals, you win the match. If you score four, it is over. We are looking very closely at that, and at how we conceded the goals, because that must never happen.”
The coach agreed with his player. He said the defensive sharpness that was missing in the closing stages against Fortuna Sittard on Saturday must be there for the full ninety minutes against Inter. “Inter punish that kind of space. It is a team with a lot of experience. Two years ago they were still Champions League finalists. They know exactly how to play at this level. For us that is new, but we are learning better and better what is needed.”
Why it matters if you live in the Netherlands
Feyenoord are the only Dutch club whose Champions League campaign is covered in this report, and Tuesday’s match against Inter is a home game in Rotterdam. For fans based in or near the city, it is a chance to see one of Europe’s most experienced sides play at Feyenoord’s ground, though NOS Sport does not give details on tickets or how to watch.
The result also matters for the wider picture of Dutch football in Europe. With three points from three matches, Feyenoord need points from games like this one to stay in contention. A defence without St. Juste will be tested by a side its own coach describes as knowing “exactly how to play at this level”.
At home, Feyenoord still lead the Eredivisie, but the recent draws against PSV and Fortuna Sittard have given their rivals a chance to close in. If you follow the title race, how the squad copes with St. Juste’s absence over the coming weeks will be worth watching.
The international break that starts on Monday also affects the domestic calendar. League football pauses while national teams play, which gives Feyenoord some breathing space to assess St. Juste and the other injured players before club matches resume.
What to watch next
The first test is Tuesday evening against Inter. Van Bronckhorst has made clear that he wants a full ninety minutes of defensive concentration, after his side let points slip late on against Fortuna Sittard. How he reorganises the back line without St. Juste will be the main tactical question.
Further updates on St. Juste’s recovery are likely after the international break, since the club has said only that he will not be back before it. Moder’s test results should also give a clearer picture of when he can return.
Finally, watch whether the returns of Van Persie and Nelson help Feyenoord turn their many chances into goals. Read’s view is simple: score enough and the match is over. Feyenoord need to show that against Inter if they want to end their run without a win and improve their Champions League position.
Source: NOS Sport
Sources
- NOS Sport: St. Juste voorlopig afwezig bij Feyenoord, dat 'nog gretiger' is voor duel met Inter, accessed 2 November 2026
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