Stalemate?

Teams that come with a reputation do not reflect their chances of victory. One can’t afford to over-estimate just because of the colours and histories of their shirts. The same eleven players perform different on a different day. But that is not really applicable for the Netherlands.

Marco van Basten has the Orange playing for each other, and that is NEW for the Dutch. With Ruud van Nisterlrooy on his way out of Old Trafford, and Arjen Robbens out of favour with the Special One at Stamford Bridge, they will go all out to impress potential employers.

Yet, these two offensive players might find it hard to break down Serbia & Montenegro stubborn defence. They have only conceded one goal in 10 qualifying matches, and their coach Illja Petkovic has been unbeaten in 13 games.

Within this Group of Death, teams will be going all out to win, and this more often than not, produces a stalemate.