A 4-1 win against fellow qualifiers Ghana gave the Netherlands another boost ahead of their final pre-tournament friendly on Saturday. Goals from Kuyt, van Persie, Sneijder and van der Vaat saw the Dutch extend their unbeaten run to 18 games and with the Japanese faltering in recent games, Group E is looking more and more like a straightforward path to the latter stages for Bert van Marwijk’s squad.

 

Arjen Robben trained on his own in midweek due to a slight hip problem, However, it has been stressed that it is ‘slight’ and he is expected to be fully fit to play his part in the tournament. The Bayern Munich player scored 23 goals during the season and his disappointment at missing out on the UEFA Champions League crown will be more than tempered if the Dutch go all the way.

Robben’s international teammate and member of Inter Milan’s Champions League winning team Wesley Sneijder sees no reason why his treble-winning season cannot become a quadruple. After taking the Serie A title and Copa Italia domestic double, followed by the Champions League win over Bayern Munich, the midfielder said he is not tired and has been energised by his World Cup chance.