Dutch manager Frank Rijkaard is preparing to coarsen the mix in the sombre knowledge that tomorrow's quarter-final meeting with Yugoslavia in Rotterdam may demand a new set of priorities. In winning all three of their earlier games against the Czech Republic, Denmark and France respectively, the co-hosts were able to depend almost exclusively on high octane to substantiate their rating as one of the championships favourites. Now the demands may be different as they make ready for the challenge of removing a Yugoslav team which has been embroiled in controversy since their opening ill-tempered fixture against Slovenia.

Fined 8,000 Swiss francs arising out of that fixture, yesterday UEFA fined them a further 120,000 Swiss francs following ugly incidents in Wednesday's match against Spain in which five more players were booked and Slavisa Jokanovic was sent off.

The philosophy of matching high technical skills with muscle is so ingrained in their game, however, that for all the dark mutterings of officialdom, it is difficult to see them deviating from the norm now. In that situation, Rijkaard's side could be heading for a difficult test. "Every game presents a different challenge," he said. yesterday. "We have studied videos of the Yugoslavs' game and the way they play, and our game-plan will be based on that. People say that playing at home, in front of our supporters, gives us an advantage. But it also means more pressures on the players. Yugoslavia, on the other hand, go into the match with everything to gain." Despite the changed emphasis, the Dutch are expected to make only one change with Giovanni van Bronckhorst returning from suspension.

To Stam and Frank de Boer will fall the task of blunting the threat of Predrag Mijatovic and the free-scoring Savo Milosevic.

With Marc Overmars and Boudewijn Zenden on either side of Edgar Davids, the Dutch midfield formation is well equipped to keep the supply lines open to Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Kluivert up front. A major blow to Yugoslavia is the loss of Jokanovic who, sweeping in front of the back four, often managed to disrupt the Spanish attack until his sending off turned the game in the last half hour.

Yet, in the resourceful Sinisa Mihajlovic, manager Vujadin Boskov has one of the better defenders in the tournament and further afield, he will be looking to the flowing skills of Dragan Stojkovic and Ljubinko Drulovic to get Milosevic running at the home defence.