Cody Gakpo's Faith Fuels Dutch Resolve Against Sweden

Cody Gakpo leans on faith as Dutch face defining Sweden test

The pressure on the Netherlands is already suffocating. One game into their World Cup campaign, Ronald Koeman’s side are staring at a must-win clash with a rampant Sweden team that tore through Tunisia 5-1 in their opener.

A 2-2 draw with Japan in Arlington exposed Dutch frailties and left little margin for error. Sweden, reshaped and re-energised under Graham Potter, arrive in Houston as Group F leaders and early statement-makers, armed with the firepower of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres.

Yet Cody Gakpo is not flinching.

Speaking at the Dutch base in Kansas City, the Liverpool winger cut an upbeat figure, insisting belief inside the camp remains strong despite the stuttering start.

“We have high hopes for ourselves,” he said. “I think we feel that we have a good group, and at the end we have to show it on the pitch and obviously go through in the group stage, and then push on.”

Prayer circle at the heart of Dutch unity

Behind that confidence lies something more personal. Gakpo revealed that a Christian prayer group has become a quiet anchor for this squad, a space where 11 or 12 players regularly gather to talk, reflect and pray together.

“We often end up in conversations in which we talk about faith and I'm often one of those who leads the prayer,” he explained. “But everyone has their own role and their own contribution.”

It is not a token gesture. For Gakpo, 27, the group is shaping the fabric of this team.

“I think the group of guys is getting bigger and bigger. And I think it also brings a certain cohesion, of course,” he said.

The benefits, he believes, stretch beyond the training pitch.

“Also outside of football, obviously, to get along well with each other. But also just to give each other strength, in moments like these when we really have to be there for each other. And that we can form a unity together. Not only on the pitch, but also outside it.”

In a tournament where pressure can fracture dressing rooms, the Netherlands are banking on faith and togetherness to hold theirs in place.

Sweden threat led by a familiar face

That unity will be tested by a Sweden side brimming with attacking menace. Isak and Gyokeres dismantled Tunisia, and the Dutch know that if they leave the same spaces they did against Japan, they will be punished.

For Gakpo, the threat is not abstract. It is personal. Isak is his Liverpool teammate, a forward he has watched closely at club level and one he respects deeply.

“Special player, and we were very happy that he returned (from injury),” Gakpo said.

Isak’s first season at Liverpool was wrecked by an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture, a setback that stalled his big-money move from Newcastle. By the end of the campaign, though, he had found his rhythm again.

“At the end, I think he was fit, he scored some goals, and he played well,” Gakpo added. “And obviously he started the tournament very well with his performance. And I think everybody knows how good a player he is, so we have to look (out for) him.”

Koeman’s defence cannot say they were not warned.

Leaving Anfield struggles behind

For Gakpo, this World Cup also offers a clean break from a bruising season at Anfield. Liverpool’s campaign unravelled, ending with the dismissal of manager Arne Slot and leaving little anyone at the club wants to revisit.

“Last season at Liverpool is not something a lot of people want to look back on, I think, unfortunately,” he admitted. “But that's just football as well. And we just have to move on. Here it's obviously a completely different environment, it's a completely different team.”

That reset is timely. With the Dutch three-time runners-up and still chasing the trophy that has eluded them for generations, there is no room for lingering baggage.

Houston will reveal whether this blend of faith, camaraderie and hard realism can withstand the heat of a Sweden side in full flow.