Stam hopes to get better of Koller

The showdown between giant Czech striker Jan Koller and Holland’s Jaap Stam could well be the key to tonight’s crunch Euro 2004 Group D clash in Aveiro.

Koller, the tallest player in Europe at 6ft 8in, will hope to get the better of seasoned campaigner Stam as the Czechs look to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

But former Manchester United defender Stam admits he is looking forward to his mighty collision with the Borussia Dortmund powerhouse.

Koller has already managed to score against Stam, netting when the Czechs beat the Dutch 3-1 in qualifying last September.

But Stam said: “I am looking forward to playing against him because that kind of physical duel is enjoyable.

“Koller always is a tough opponent, especially because he is tall, just as I am. But his control and ability to hold the ball up are better than people think. He is a tough opponent but one I relish facing.”

It is a confrontation that could make or break the tournament for Dick Advocaat’s team, but the coach goes into the game insisting he is confident.

He said: “We may not have the best team in the championship, so we have to be realistic, but we always enter a tournament with intentions of winning it.

“We have only played one game, one draw, so everything is still open for us.”

Advocaat has been annoyed by the criticism his side received after their draw with Germany in their opening fixture on Tuesday.

He said: “The Germans have been told it was their best performance in two years, but I am being told we were not good enough. If they played that well, we could not have been that bad.”

Holland could have Clarence Seedorf back in contention after recovering from a hamstring injury, and Advocaat is being pressed into considering the use of an extra striker alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy. He could bring in either Patrick Kluivert or Pierre van Hooijdonk.

Advocaat secured the point against Germany after making several tactical changes during the game but he says he will not necessarily use the side that finished on Tuesday against the Czechs.

He added: “I cannot say whether I will select the side that played well in the second half against Germany because I have to take the whole match into account.

“The team did not get better because of the substitutions but because they showed more guts. They also showed more aggression when they were 1-0 down.

“What we must do now is play for the whole match like we did in the last 15 minutes against Germany. We were excellent in that second half so we have to start the game in the same way and play like it for 90 minutes.”

None of the bickering between Advocaat and the Press is helping to reduce the tension around the Dutch team, who are being portrayed as under-achievers yet again.

And Advocaat even implies that the pressures on his players is affecting their composure on the pitch.

He said: “We prepared well for the match against Germany but as soon as my players entered the pitch fear took over and prevented several of them doing their jobs.

“During the first half we were not capable to correct things but after the break we changed the match and finally got a satisfying result.”

Holland know that a defeat would leave their qualification hopes hanging by a thread, while the Czechs will be in the last eight. As days of reckoning go, they do not come much more demanding than this.