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Netherlands v Ivory Coast: Preview
Arouna Kone has picked out Arjen Robben as the man the Ivory Coast must stop if their World Cup dream is not to end in Stuttgart on Friday.
After suffering an unlucky defeat to Argentina in the opening game of their first Finals campaign, the Elephants now have to avoid being trampled on by another heavyweight contender in Holland.
Kone acknowledges the task is hardly any easier. However, the PSV Eindhoven star is hoping he can use a bit of inside knowledge to unsettle the Dutch.
But, after Robben's excellent individual performance in Holland's win over Serbia and Montenegro at the weekend, Kone does not need to warn anyone in the Ivorian camp about the Chelsea man's lethal potential.
``Robben is probably the most important player in their team,'' said the 22-year-old striker.
``He led all their attacks in the first game and there is no doubt he is a great player.''
Unfortunately for the Ivory Coast, Robben does not represent Holland's sole threat.
Robin van Persie will be eager to make an impact after complaining about the lack of service he received against the Serbians, while Ruud van Nistelrooy is also looking to make a mark after a quiet start to his World Cup campaign.
``I know Robin quite well from our teenage years,'' said Kone, who moved to Holland three years ago, scoring an incredible 28 goals in two seasons with Roda JC before joining PSV last summer.
``He had huge potential then and he has worked hard to develop that talent.
``Holland are a bit like us in the sense that overall, their team is young but they also have some very good, experienced players like Ruud van Nistelrooy and Phillip Cocu.''
After an impressive World Cup debut against Argentina on Saturday, the Elephants are likely to stick to a similar formula, with Chelsea's Didier Drogba leading the line.
Marco van Basten insists he has no special plans for Didier Drogba on Friday.
Fresh from their excellent win over Serbia and Montenegro, Van Basten's Holland side tackle Drogba's Ivory Coast in Stuttgart knowing victory will effectively guarantee their place in the knockout phase with a game to spare.
While the Ivory Coast did enough in their loss to Argentina to suggest they offer a threat in most areas, Drogba is the obvious danger man.
Most Ivorian attacks go through the Chelsea man and while he was outstanding at bringing team-mates into the game in Hamburg last Saturday, he was also the major goal threat as well.
It was Drogba who scored the late, close-range effort which gave the Elephants hope of snatching a draw and there is bound to be a thought in Van Basten's mind that if the 28-year-old can be stopped, Holland will be halfway towards the win they crave.
However, according to the Dutch coach, singling Drogba out for special attention will create more problems than it solves.
His defence may have been criticised in some quarters but Van Basten is happy to let them sort out the Drogba problem themselves.
``We have no special anti-Drogba plan,'' said Van Basten.
``We know he is a very good. We know he can score a lot of goals and we know he can create a lot too because he is so strong.
``But we have to look after him as a team. Even though he has a lot of qualities, we cannot change everything just for one player.''
Having spent time watching the Ivory Coast on their run to the African Nations Cup final earlier this year, Van Basten knows it is difficult to predict how the Africans approach Friday's match.
Their natural instincts are to attack at every opportunity, which, as they found out to their cost against Argentina, leaves them vulnerable on the break.
Needing at least a draw to maintain any interest in the competition, coach Henri Michel may prefer to adopt a more cautious approach, especially in the first half, to give his side a platform to build on.
Either way, Van Basten expects to have skipper Edwin van der Sar available despite the Manchester United goalkeeper being troubled by a calf problem.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/preview?id=191939&cc=4716
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