THE Netherlands have won five out of five so far in World Cup qualifying Group 9 and can become the first European team to book their place in South Africa with a victory over Iceland in Reykjavik today.
A win for the Dutch would be a boost for Scotland's hopes of qualifying, with Iceland currently three points behind George Burley's side who sit in second place, both teams having played five games each.
Iceland have been warned by Netherlands coa
ch Bert van Marwijk that they face a Dutch side much improved from the one which beat them 2-0 back in October. Van Marwijk took over from Marco van Basten last summer and is pleased with the progress his side have made since then.
"We're more stable, better organised," he said of his Oranje squad. "When you make few or no changes to the way we play and to the squad, your team will get more stable by itself. There must be clarity."
Indeed, such has been their improvement that they are now ranked second in the world by Fifa – although Van Marwijk is reading nothing into that. "I don't even know how that list is put together," he said.
In line with his policy of consistency, Van Marwijk is not planning any major changes of personnel. Wesley Sneijder is injured, but his Real Madrid team-mate, Rafael van der Vaart, has impressed in training.
"You can see that he's been playing more regularly at his club. He's fresh and eager and has made a good impression," said Van Marwijk. "We'll make some changes, but don't expect anything shocking."
Nigel de Jong was absent on Wednesday as he was attending the birth of his son but returned to training yesterday. And that left Van Marwijk, aside from Sneijder (hamstring) and PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Afellay (ankle), with a fully fit squad to choose from. FC Twente striker Eljero Elia looks likely to make his debut, while midfielder Mark van Bommel is in line to win his 50th cap.
Hearts midfielder Eggert Jonsson is hoping to feature for Iceland, who are third in the group with four points. The 20-year-old came off the bench against Scotland at Hampden in April and is keen to play a part in tomorrow's clash.
"I got a chance against Scotland and it would be great to have another opportunity," he told Hearts News. "My ambition is to play for my country as often as possible."
He added: "Hearts have finished third, we have Europe this season so it's all very positive for me just now."
Scotland manager Burley will take in Macedonia against Norway this evening as he prepares for the Group 9 climax.
The national team manager has decided to travel to Skopje in person for the game instead of sending a member of his backroom team as he looks to garner as much information as possible on their opponents ahead of the autumn qualifiers.
Scotland next face Norway in Oslo on 12 August, a match that is seen as pivotal to their hopes of finishing in one of the best runners-up places to the Netherlands. The Scots then host Macedonia on 5 September and the Netherlands four days later.
The full article contains 549 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
