NETHERLANDS v REP OF IRELAND: In a country that gives its football more serious thought than most, there have probably been a few PhD theses submitted on just how it was the Dutch national team managed to lose out to Ireland in the qualifying stages of the last World Cup.
Victory for the home side in Amsterdam's Arena this evening would neither ease the pain that apparently still lingers nor provide conclusive answers to the many questions thrown up by the performances produced in those memorable games between the two countries.
What is clear, though, is that another defeat would, on the eve of Euro 2004, be almost as demoralising as the 2-2 draw here four years ago from which Louis van Gaal's side never quite recovered.
Given the respective strengths of the squads this time around even a repeat of that draw, never mind the 1-0 victory that followed a year later, would represent at least as great an upset as when Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane were left publicly debating whether or not they should be pleased to have taken a point away with them in September of 2000.
Six of the Dutch side that started that evening are likely to be chosen by current manager Dick Advocaat this evening, while of the 14 who featured then for the Republic Robbie Keane is the only one available to Brian Kerr this weekend. Four have retired but the other nine are among 19 still active but missing here for one reason or another.
Kerr remained positive about the situation yesterday, observing that the absence of so many players made the this evening's fixture an "even greater challenge", but conceding that the prospect of taking on a powerful, skilful and hugely experienced Dutch side with, in particular, what promises to be a somewhat improvised midfield is less than ideal.
At this stage Matt Holland is the only midfielder available to Kerr who has really established himself at this level, while Stephen McPhail is the only other to have played even a little competitive international football.
Quite what, in the circumstances, the manager really thinks of some of the injuries cited by players as reasons for not being here or of Mark Kinsella's decision to return home for his son's First Communion rather than see out the tour we shall perhaps never know but the upshot is that if the Dutch find the stride this evening it promises to be a tough 90 minutes for the visitors.
Kerr will do what he can to strengthen the side, with Shay Given, Kenny Cunningham, Steve Finnan, Matt Holland and Robbie Keane all set to return, but he has little option but to field some less experienced players across the centre, where Andy Reid is likely to be joined again by Graham Barrett and Alan Quinn, or, if he looks to add a little more bite defensively, Martin Rowlands. Either way, Advocaat may just feel he has the edge in that department.
Up front Kerr will invest once again in the partnership of Clinton Morrison and Keane, something the coach still desperately hopes to get a return on come the autumn. Morrison has now gone 10 games, or 602 minutes, without scoring for Ireland but Kerr insisted yesterday that the Birmingham striker still has his confidence.
"It's no secret that we haven't got a lot of depth in that area," he said, "but as long as he keeps improving the various aspects of his game that he needs to improve I'll be happy with him. He has developed into a more effective link-man between the attack and midfield, his crossing has improved, his heading has improved.
"They've all improved this season and I've said to him that as long as he keeps working hard the goals will come eventually. We wouldn't be unique in having a front two who don't both score a huge number of goals but he's a fantastic character and the last thing he or any striker needs is for me to be telling him he's missed a couple of chances. I keep picking him for games - that's my vote of confidence in him."
Ireland skipper Kenny Cunningham, a team-mate of Morrison's at Birmingham, echoed Kerr's remarks and credited the striker with having helped lift City's season after he returned from a long lay-off with a shoulder injury.
"I think he was getting a huge number of chances at Crystal Palace and the step-up was a bit greater than he had expected," said the Dubliner. "Now he knows you get much fewer at the higher level and he is learning how much more composed you have to be to put them away. His ego has probably taken a bit of a battering but he's made a huge amount of progress over the last year or so."
The Dutch, meanwhile, have striking issues of their own, with Advocaat now set to give Patrick Kluivert and Ruud van Nistelrooy another chance to click together ahead of next week's trip to Portugal for the European championships.
The coach said earlier in the week he would give Roy Makaay the chance to start against the Irish but has apparently relented after the players themselves suggested, rather ominously, that they could make the potentially prolific partnership work tonight.
Advocaat appears set, in fact, to field his strongest side this evening, with Clarence Seedorf missing out as the local manager opts for a midfield diamond that includes Philip Cocu in front of the defence, Rafael van der Vaart behind the strikers and Wesley Sneijder on the right.
PROBABLE TEAMS
NETHERLANDS: Van der Sar (Fulham); Reiziger (Barcelona), Stam (Lazio), Bouma (PSV), van Bronckhorst (Barcelona); Sneijder (Ajax), Cocu (Barcelona), van der Vaart (Ajax), Davids (Barcelona); Kluivert (Barcelona), van Nistelrooy (Manchester United).
IRELAND: Given (Newcastle United); Finnan (Liverpool), Cunningham (Birmingham City), O'Brien (Newcastle United), Maybury (Hearts); Barrett (Coventry City), Holland (Charlton Athletic), Quinn (unattached), Reid (Nottingham Forest); Morrison (Birmingham City), Keane (Tottenham Hotspur).
