FORTALEZA: Louis van Gaal is preparing his Netherlands squad to face two significant challenges in their Round of 16 match in this steamy northern Brazilian city – Mexico and the weather.
The Dutch coach said he hopes FIFA will use drink breaks during the match so that players can replenish fluids in Fortaleza’s hot and humid Arena Castelao.
Tests the Dutch have conducted during training in Brazil and pre-tournament friendlies show that some players lose up to four litres of fluid during a match.
”Can you imagine that?” van Gaal said on Saturday. ”That has to be replenished because otherwise you start hallucinating.”
Van Gaal said that apart from Leroy Fer, who injured his hamstring in training, defender Bruno Martins Indi will not start against Mexico. Martins Indi was concussed in the Netherlands 3-2 win over Australia and van Gaal said he wasn’t ready to start yet. Striker and captain Robin van Persie is available again after being suspended for the last group match.
Dirk Kuyt, normally a forward, will likely again play left back and win his 100th international cap in the process. He will become the second Dutch player, after Wesley Sneijder, to reach the milestone in Brazil.
Meanwhile, after ending an 11-game international goal drought, Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez is aiming to oust his new club boss van Gaal.
“This whole year has been very tough. Players need confidence more than anything else and I’ve been very short of it. Very few people have shown faith in me over this past year,” said the 26-year-old speaking of his more than a year without a goal for Mexico.
Hernandez, who is known as ‘Chicharito’ (Little Pea), was left in tears after heading his side’s third goal in a 3-1 win over Croatia on Monday which sealed their place in the knockout stages for a sixth straight World Cup.
Hernandez’s return to scoring form is another boost for a Mexico side that has gone from strength to strength since the appointment of coach Miguel Herrera last year.
Victory over the Dutch would match Mexico’s best ever showing at a World Cup when they reached the last eight on home soil in 1970 and 1986.However, to do so they will have to stop the tournament’s top scorers in the group stage with 10 goals.
In Recife, Costa Rica are determined to score first when they tackle Greece.
The Greeks have developed a reputation over the years of being extremely hard to break down, particularly if they take the lead.
They have almost perfected the classic Italian system of catenaccio (bolt-lock) in which teams would play in an ultra defensive way and hope to score a single goal on the counter-attack to take a lead they would then defend.
Costa Rica emerged as one of the form teams of the group stages, stunning Uruguay and then Italy before drawing with England to finish top of Group D.
Greece only just squeezed into the knockout round, Giorgios Samaras converting a late penalty for a decisive 2-1 win over Ivory Coast to book their first ever last-16 appearance. (AFP)