Group 3: Old heads meet again

A decade after they first crossed swords in an international match, Andreas Herzog and Frank de Boer will meet once more on Wednesday as Austria aim to assert their Group 3 authority against the Netherlands in Vienna.

Star attraction
The last two fixtures between the two countries have both ended 3-2 - Austria winning the first in 1990, the Dutch exacting revenge in 1992. The latter match saw two promising youngsters make their mark: the 23-year-old Herzog, then with SK Rapid Wien, was the star attraction in the Austrian midfield, while De Boer, 22, was carving out a fine reputation at AFC Ajax and internationally.

Weekend victory
In the ten years since that match Herzog has taken a circuitous route back to Rapid. He left the club after six seasons in 1992 to join SV Werder Bremen, remaining loyal to the German club until January of this year when Rapid called again. Throughout that period he remained one of the finest Austrian players of his generation, clocking up his 98th cap in the 2-0 EURO 2004™ qualifying victory in Belarus on Saturday.

Sparked success
Herzog, 34, started the game on the bench, but came on to spark a fine second-half display which saw Markus Schopp and Mohammed Akagündüz find decisive goals. The Netherlands also beat Belarus in their only group outing, 3-0, and will pose a threat to Austria's 100 per cent record. "The Dutch are individually and collectively a completely different opponent to the Belarussians," said Herzog. "It is a small country which plays great football. It is something special to play against Holland."

Steely determination
Flattery indeed but behind that praise lies a steely determination to claim one of the top two group places at the expense of the Dutch and the Czech Republic. The Austrians have benefited from adopting a flexible defence, placing more emphasis on a midfield once again containing Herzog after he was dropped for a recent friendly. "I can just say that my performance on the pitch will be the proof of my readiness," Herzog said.

Raking passes
Like Herzog, De Boer is approaching a century of caps; the captain will make his 97th appearance in Vienna. Both are elegant ball players with the ability to spray raking passes with either foot, though each is more comfortable on his left, most critically from set-pieces. De Boer has also been loyal to two clubs. He lifted the UEFA Cup and Champions League trophies in Amsterdam as well as five league titles and two Dutch Cups during a glittering decade with Ajax prior to a €12.5m move to FC Barcelona.

Van Nistelrooij missing
Austria have the traditional edge in this fixture, having won six and lost four of the 14 matches played since 1912. De Boer, though, knows what it takes to beat the Austrians, even if his Dutch side will be missing striker Ruud van Nistelrooij with a hamstring strain.

'Take a miracle'
A Dutch success coupled with a Czech triumph at home to Belarus would see the three challengers tied on six points at the top of Group 6. Despite scoring none and conceding five goals in two outings so far, Belarus coach Eduard Malafeev is refusing to betray his principles in Teplice. "There will be no defensive football," he said. "If it will take a miracle for us to get back into contention we will have to perform a miracle." For the other three teams in action, points, not miracles, are the order of the day.