If there is any team hungry for World Cup glory, Holland has to be the one, as they missed out on the last edition when they failed to qualify for the mega event. This time, they seem to be back with a vengeance, as their team is filled with players with bags of ability and flair. Their opponents Denmark, on the other hand, are believed to be Scandinavia’s best team. The match between the Oranje and Danish Dynamite will take place at Soccer City, Johannesburg on Tuesday June 14th, and is built up to be a scintillating contest.
The group is believed to be an interesting one, with Cameroon and Japan the other 2 teams, both of whom are giants in their continent, and are sure to put up a big fight regardless of them not being the favourites to make it through from Group E.
Holland and Denmark have met no less than 28 times in International Football, and Holland have the edge over their Scandinavian rivals having won 11, while 7 of the 28 matches were drawn. Five of their last 6 matches ended in draws.
Holland manager Bert Van was dealt a major blow days before the opening of the World Cup, as arguably his most creative and productive player, Arjen Robben, received a hamstring injury in their last warm-up game back home, when they thrashed Hungary 6-1 in Amsterdam.
Robben, who plays for Bayern Munich, has had a fabulous season, winning the German League and the domestic Cup, while also making in to the final of the UEFA Champions League (where they lost to Inter Milan 2-0), and his consistent runs on the left wing have been a source of concern for all teams, as he keeps on making dangerous runs and putting the ball in the danger zone. His injury is cause for much concern, but the medical staff at the Dutch camp believes the injury is not as threatening, and Robben will be able to recover in time to take part in the later stages of the World Cup. Therefore, it was decided to keep him in the squad.
While their main man in attack, Van Persie, has also been plagued by injury throughout last season with Arsenal, he is now believed to be fit and ready to lead the lines, while in midfield the tried and tested Wesley Sneijder will be the key player. Fresh from winning the Champions League with Inter Milan, Sneijder is believed to be the man expected to create most of the opportunities from the midfield. Mark Van Bommel will also be a key ingredient, as his ability to hold up play in middle of the park may be integral to Holland’s chances of winning.
While looking at Denmark, Martin Olsen (the manager), has plenty of big names in European football at his disposal, such as Daniel Agger, Christian Poulsen and Nickla Bendtner.
But looking at the recent performances of the team, the coordination between these names at the international front has not been that great, as they have only managed one win in their last 5 games. Arsenal Striker Bendtner is believed to be the main man for them in the World Cup, but the front man has not yet lived up to the promise he showed once he came on to the scene, neither at the international level, nor for his Club. A number of late goals from the striker did get Arsenal some sensational wins, but the fact that he needs at least 3 to 4 chances to score one goal is something to worry about.
Holland, who did not make it to the World Cup in 2006, have made a remarkable turnaround, as they qualified for South Africa 2010 with a brilliant 100% record in qualifying and becoming the first team from Europe to make it the World Cup finals.
Even though there are number of key players missing from either side, Holland are considered firm favourites in this all European encounter, and the Dutch do look hungry to make it to the next round, and make sure they compensate for missing out in the last World Cup.
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