Holland: Ready and cautious

Monday, 28 June 2010

Robert Vittek

Holland are ready for Slovakia, but also cautious ahead of the round of 16-game against Slovakia (today 16h00 CET). "They played well against Italy. They are well organized in defense and play a fine counter attack," said Giovanni van Bronckhorst. "But all teams still present are there because they deserve it. But we want to be World Champions, and that means we have to be all teams, Slovakia as well."

Holland manager, who will celebrate his 25th game at the helm of the national team today, said it's not easy to get a clear picture of the Slovakians. "They were really convincing against the Italians, but against Paraguay they only had one shot on goal," Van Marwijk said. "They are a tough team without specific stars."

The man to watch in the Slovakian team is Robert Vittek. The player of Turkish Ankaragücü is a bit of a one-hit-wonder, as he didn't score a single goal during qualifications but has already bagged three at this World Cup. He knows his team have little to lose today. "There will be more pressure on the Netherlands,' Vittek told a press conference in Durban on Sunday. "They have to deliver, we simply might."

Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss, who himself reached the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup when playing for Czechoslovakia, shared the excitement over what he defined as "the peak" of his coaching career.

"We're going for something sensational," he said. However, he also noted that the task at hand would be difficult. "We will have to at least repeat our performance against Italy," Weiss said. The coach praised the Netherlands for their ability to "always manage to surprise" opponents.

Holland have six players with a yellow card to their name: Nigel de Jong, Giovanni van Bronkchorst, Dirk Kuyt, Rafael van der Vaart, Gregory van der Wiel and Robin van Persie. With Alberto Undiano being the referee it seems certain that a couple of these six will be out with suspension for a possible quarterfinal.

The game is technically a home game for Holland and so the team of Bert van Marwijk will wear their Orange jerseys.