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The already quarterfinalists French and Dutch fight it out |
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June 21, 2000
AMSTERDAM (AP) - The Netherlands vs. France might still be the standout clash of the first round but could resemble a match between Netherlands A and France B.
With two victories apiece, the Euro 2000 favorites are both safely through to the quarterfinals, but the Netherlands is under massive pressure from its demanding fans to win in the flowing style that made it Europe's most attractive team of the 1990s.
There's another big incentive for the Dutch to win Wednesday's match: by topping Group D it would stay on home soil for the rest of the tournament.
France needs only a draw in Amsterdam to win the group but a loss wouldn't be disastrous for the world champion.
The Group D runner-up plays its quarterfinal in Bruges, where France has played and won both its Euro 2000 matches, with a possible semifinal in nearby Brussels.
A defeat in Amsterdam would mean France remaining at its current base in Genval, deep in Francophone Belgium, and getting more support in its upcoming matches.
Zinedine Zidane is typically judicious about France's strategy.
"We have a feel for Bruges but to stay there we would have to lose," the Juventus star said. "On the other hand if we played a great match and lost we would still have the satisfaction of staying in Bruges. But the objective is to win."
Lemerre also points out the advantages of staying in Bruges.
"In a stadium that they know, the players get visual bearings, which for instance might help them not to lose a long ball," he said. "But it is not in anyone's style here to take certain matches easy. I know from the players' mentality that they will all play to the limit."
With the possibility of four matches in 13 days, Lemerre has indicated that he will rest several of his first-choice players.
Bixente Lizarazu, Emmanuel Petit and Nicolas Anelka have minor knocks and will probably be rested for the clash in Amsterdam, along with veteran first-team regulars Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc.
Lemerre might also leave out Lilian Thuram, who was booked in the win over the Czech Republic and would be suspended for the quarterfinals with another yellow card.
Playing a weakened team might turn out to be a clever piece of psychology on Lemerre's part.
"I think the B team wants to win and is very motivated," said Dutch captain Frank de Boer. "It won't make much difference because there is a lot of quality in their so-called B team. We're going to play with our strongest team so we take it very seriously."
Coach Frank Rijkaard isn't expecting a weakened opponent.
"In France even the B-team players are of very high quality. You'll still end up with someone like (Frank) Leboeuf and how can you talk about a B-team with that kind of qualify?" he said.
"They have great team spirit, and are a cohesive team with very strong strikers and a great playmaker in Zinedine Zidane," the former Ajax and AC Milan player said. "They are a very strong team no matter who they field."
Rijkaard might rest Michael Reiziger, who is on a yellow card, and Jaap Stam, but his team desperately needs an attractive win to kickstart its Euro 2000 campaign.
"What we need is one good game that starts us off, like at the World Cup in 1998," said big striker Pierre van Hooijdonk. "We started badly but then we had a great game against South Korea and from then on things went great," he said.
"We started to play great so hopefully it will be that type of game against France."
Expected Lineups:
Netherlands - Sander Westerveld; Michael Reiziger (or Paul Bosveldt), Bert Konterman, Frank de Boer, Arthur Numan; Boudewijn Zenden, Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids, Philip Cocu; Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert.
France - Fabien Barthez; Christian Karembeu, Vincent Candela, Frank Leboeuf, Marcel Desailly, Robert Pires, Johan Micoud (or Zinedine Zidane), Patrick Vieira (or Youri Djorkaeff), Christophe Dugarry; Sylvain Wiltord, David Trezeguet (or Thierry Henry). |