Real Madrid fears over Sneijder add to Dutch woes as Iceland eye upset

NETHERLANDS coach Bert van Marwijk has a patched-up defence, a forward line missing three key players and a goalkeeper hauled out of retirement for his team's World Cup qualifier against Iceland.

The lengthy Dutch injury list makes sombre reading for fans ahead of tomorrow's match in Rotterdam's De Kuip stadium.

Forwards Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink are all injured, along with defenders John Heitinga, Wilfried Bouma and Khalid Boulharouz. Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has also been ruled out.

Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder is back in the Dutch squad after recovering recently from a knee injury, but his club has told Van Marwijk that Sneijder shouldn't play.

"I want to play, but there is a clear agreement," Sneijder told national broadcaster NOS. "Most likely, I won't play Saturday."

Thanks to a superior goal difference, the Netherlands lead Group 9 with three points from their only qualifier so far, a 2-1 win in Macedonia.

Goals could be hard to come by against Iceland without Van Persie, Robben and free-kick specialist Sneijder. Between them, the three players have 31 international goals.

In their absence, Van Marwijk has only three forwards left – the Liverpool pairing of Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel along with Ajax's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – who have a combined total of 20 goals.

Van Marwijk has drafted in right-back Jan Kromkamp to bolster his defence. He will likely line up alongside PSV Eindhoven team-mate Dirk Marcellis, who will be making his debut tomorrow.

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has been called out of international retirement to play tomorrow and on Wednesday in Norway as cover for Stekelenburg, who is also facing a four-week lay-off.

Van der Sar's return gave the team a boost it badly needed amid the injury crisis, Van Marwijk admitted.

"He was shocked for a moment but also flattered and answered positively the same day," Van Marwijk said. "With a goalkeeper of his class, he will start both matches."

Van der Sar, who has played a record 128 game for the Netherlands, said his return was temporary and confirmed that he will not be involved when the Dutch host Scotland in March.

"It was hard to say no," he said. "Bert said it would be a one-off. Two matches, and that's it."

He added: "I understood the urgency of the request with two injured keepers. The coming two matches are very important and it is crucial that we finish them well."

For Iceland, who drew 2-2 against Norway and lost 2-1 against Scotland and have never qualified for a major tournament, the match in Rotterdam will be tough. Assistant coach Petur Petursson, who had two spells in Rotterdam with Feyenoord, conceded that it would be a major shock if Iceland managed to upset the Dutch.

"Netherlands have a much better team, with players from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool" Petursson told Dutch weekly Voetbal International. "That is something different then the league in Norway where most of our players are performing. The only thing we can do is to appear as tight collectively."

Gretar Steinsson, though, is confident Iceland can get a result by beating the Dutch at their own game. The Bolton defender said: "More and more Icelandic footballers are playing abroad and that has changed our game. Previously we only used the long ball – now we try to keep the ball on the ground in our attacks.

"Individually and collectively Holland are very strong and we will have to win the duels against them. It will be a physical battle, but we are strong and will get opportunities.

"We will give them a difficult evening. The Dutch have shown they are one of the best teams in the world. But we have a good mentality."