Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Andorra vs Netherlands


Netherlands will book their spot at the 2014 World Cup if they win their Group D game with Andorra and Romania fail to beat Turkey.

Louis van Gaal saw his side's six-game winning run in the group end on Friday as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Estonia, but they remain six points clear with three games remaining.

They had Robin van Persie to thank for the point in Tallinn after the striker was adjudged to have been fouled inside the penalty area in stoppage time and he calmly converted the spot-kick.

Despite that last-minute salvation, the Dutch coach was far from pleased with his side's performance and made it clear that he expects more against Andorra.

"We lost two points," he said. "When you draw 2-2 at Estonia you cannot be satisfied.

"All I will say [is] that we have to keep fighting."

The Dutch have a perfect record against Andorra so will be confident of securing a victory on Tuesday - and with it, a place in the finals in Brazil.

They top the group with 19 points from seven matches, and also have a superior goal difference to their rivals.

Some of his side's defending against Estonia could be a cause for concern, but Van Gaal is likely to have a less stressful encounter against the side ranked 205th in the world.

Andorra fell to a 5-0 defeat away to Turkey on Friday, meaning that they have now conceded 22 goals without reply in their seven matches.

They have never scored against the Netherlands and have conceded at least three goals in every meeting between the two sides.

The Oranje won their previous encounter in the group 3-0, with Rafael van der Vaart, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Ruben Schaken securing the points in October.

Wesley Sneijder was recalled for the Estonia fixture but struggled to make an impact on the game, and when opportunities fell his way he wasted them.

Whether Van Gaal will persist with the 29-year-old is unclear, but he will definitely be without Van der Vaart for their trip into the Pyrenees, as the Hamburg midfielder is ruled out with a thigh injury.

Arjen Robben will also miss the trip after picking up a yellow card against Estonia, which will mean he has to serve a suspension.

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