Advocaat needs to find winning formula

Latvia v Holland: With his team needing to do better than the Germans, if they are to steal second place and a place in quarter-finals, Dick Advocaat is under immense pressure to come up with a winning formula ahead of this evening's game against the Latvians in Braga.

The coach skipped the scheduled encounter with his good friends from the Dutch press on Monday when his stand in, coach Willem van Henegem, helpfully suggested to the media that he had disagreed with the controversial substitutions made by Advocaat during Saturday's traumatic defeat by the Czech Republic.

"We had some discussions among the technical staff about the changes," he revealed. "I thought there were other possibilities, but it is still Advocaat's responsibility."

Having seen his side play so well for spells during the Czech game, however, Advocaat is now expected to stick with much the same line-up and tactics for this evening's final group game.

Wilfred Bouma is out of the tie with an Achilles injury. The defender felt the problem during the Czech Republic game and his absence means Frank de Boer is likely to start in his place.

With Johnny Heitinga suspended, Michael Reiziger is set to return at right back but elsewhere the Dutch are likely to be unchanged with Arjen Robben, Clarence Seedorf and, despite a slight ankle strain, Giovanni van Bronkhorst all set to retain their places in the side.

Fenerbahce forward Pierre van Hooijdonk, who missed the game against the Czechs, is unlikely to be available after failing to recover from a back injury he sustained against Germany.

"If need be, I will play with an injection," said van Hooijdonk.

The Latvians, meanwhile, are playing for no more than pride but having taken a point from the Germans and threatening to actually win the game on more than one occasion, they will fancy themselves to have a further say in how Group D pans out.

Midfielder Valentins Lobanovs should be fit after shaking off a knock sustained in the Germany game but all eyes will be on the team's frontman, Maris Verpakovskis, whose pace on the break repeatedly rattled Rudi Voller's men.

As Robbie Keane showed a couple of weeks back the Dutch central defence can be vulnerable to someone with pace running at them and as they hunt for victory, (though a draw would suffice if the Germans lose in any manner except by one goal in a high scoring game) that they should surely be capable of, they need to guard against being caught out on the break.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

LATVIA (4-4-2): Kolinko; Isakovs, Stepanovs, Zemlinskis, Blagonadezdins; Bleidelis, Lobanovs, Astafjevs, Rubins; Prohorenkovs, Verpakovskis

HOLLAND (4-3-3): van der Sar; Stam, de Boer, van Bronkhorst, Reiziger; Cocu, Davids, Seedorf; Robben, van der Meyde, van Nistelrooy.

Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark)