Oranje seek show of strength

Marco van Basten has had a magic touch with the Netherlands. After an unbeaten run through qualifying, the Oranje have won their first two FIFA World Cup finals matches and are already through to the last 16.

Argentina game
As Van Basten's team take on Argentina tonight bidding to secure top spot in Group C, the coach may have been moved by De Telegraaf's assessment of the 2-1 win against Ivory Coast which ensured at least a second-placed finish. "With Marco van Basten, the total euphoria will soon make way for realism," wrote the newspaper. "He will not be blinded by the celebrations around him. And that is a good thing, because the Oranje did not play that well against the African side and were lucky not to concede a second goal."

Suspension risks
The consensus back home is that, to date, the Oranje have played well within their capabilities. Yet in Frankfurt, they encounter an Argentina side who have shown perhaps the best form of any finalist, and they do so while risking the suspension of six players. A booking for Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Johnny Heitinga, Arjen Robben, Joris Mathijsen, Mark van Bommel or Khalid Boulahrouz would sideline them for the Round of 16. Only Boulahrouz looks sure to start against Argentina, with Van Basten saying: "He has to see some action."

'A great test'
The Argentina match revives bitter memories of the Dutch defeat by the hosts in the 1978 World Cup final. "They are very tough and interesting opponents," said Van Basten. "It will be a great test for us and we will be able to see where we stand. We are taking this game very seriously." Kew Jaliens, Tim de Cler, Rafael van der Vaart and Dirk Kuijt are expected to feature in a fixture with special significance for the squad's only World Cup veterans. Phillip Cocu will earn his 100th cap while Edwin van der Sar will equal Frank de Boer's Dutch record of 112 caps.

Shuddering post
Van der Sar remembers the 1998 World Cup when the Netherlands overcame Argentina 2-1 in the quarter-finals. "Of course, I immediately think back to 1998," he said. "Hernán Crespo played. I remember he hit a very hard drive against the post. That post kept shaking for five minutes afterwards." Provided it is goalposts shaking and not nets rustling, the 35-year-old could be a happy man again tonight.