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Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv. Kick-off: 7:45pm.
It is arguably the most anticipated match of Euro 2012 so far as the Netherlands take on Germany tonight knowing that defeat will send the Oranje home earlier than expected. The Dutch lost their opening Group B game to Denmark despite creating numerous amounts of chances. Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has announced that his team are feeling the pressure ahead of the game in Kharkiv. He will have to make the decision of whether to start in-form striker Klaas-Jan Hunterlaar as the Schalke man came on in the closing stages against Denmark.
The defeat was big shock to the system for the Netherlands however they know that tonight's game is make or break in terms of their stay in the tournament. It is astonishing to believe that the Dutch didn't get themselves on the score-sheet against Denmark having an incredible 29 shots with 9 of those on target. They will have to make their chances count against a Germany side who began their Euro 2012 campaign with a narrow victory over Portugal in Lviv. Both the Netherlands and Germany are considered to be two of the favourites to win the tournament however there is the prospect of the Oranje going out after two matches is a concern for van Marwijk however he feels his side can cope with the pressure. "Of course there is tension here, but positive tension - we are looking forward to the game. This is part of the job. I don't feel pressure too much."
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| KEEPING CALM: Bert van Marwijk |
Meanwhile for Germany, they come into the match knowing a victory would send them through to the quarter-finals. Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez scored the only goal against Portugal and coach Joachim Loew insists Gomez can only get better. "Gomez has lots of different qualities - one chance, one goal. The important thing was to win. The European Championship is like a Formula One race but without a warm-up." Loew was about to replace Gomez with Miroslav Klose before he headed home the winner 18 minutes from time to give the Germans a winning start in their search to win their fourth European title. There will be a number of key battles on the pitch at the Metalist Stadium which has the makings of a fantastic contest. Ranked fourth and third respectively, both teams have a big rivalry which has been going on for many a year. They met in many key matches including the 1974 World Cup Final where then West Germany beat the Dutch by two goals to one in Munich however the Oranje revenged for that defeat by beating the Germans by the same scoreline in the 1988 European Championship semi-final which they went on to win. Interestingly, the teams have met each other at the group stage of the tournament back in 2004 in Portugal where they played out a 1-1 draw in Porto. At the end of the group stage, the Netherlands went through to the knockout stages whereas Germany made an early exit. The opposite could happen tonight which would be a massive blow for the Oranje.
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| Netherlands' Giovanni van Bronckhorst (R) beating Germany's Kevin Kuranyi to the ball |
In terms of team news, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar could start the game for the Netherlands however Ibrahim Affelay or Robin Van Persie, who had a inadequate impact against Denmark, could be forced to make way for the Schalke striker. For Germany, Bastian Schweinsteiger came through the Portugal game unscathed after suffering a calf injury before the tournament began otherwise Joachim Loew has a full fit squad to choose from.
Probable line-ups:
Netherlands Germany
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