The Netherlands will be expecting a tough match when it faces Nigeria in Tianjin on Thursday in their Group B match of the Beijing Olympic men's soccer tournament, Lagos local media reported Thursday.
Dutch star Real Madrid left-back Royston Drenthe said coach Samson Siasia's boys would be a big threat.
"We want to win that first game. But we know Nigeria is a team of big boys and big names and they will be tough, there is no doubt," he said on Wednesday.
Drenthe, however, has confidence in his star-studded team to start with a win against the Atlanta gold medallists.
The Dutch team parades a host of stars, including 33-year-old former Bayern Munich striker Roy Makaay, who is now with Feyenoord, Valencia's Hedwiges Maduro and Liverpool's Ryan Babel.
"We're not little boys, we U-23 guys play for big clubs you know." he added, "Nigeria will play physical, but we just need to keep the ball on the ground, get it out wide, move it around and break them down that way, the Dutch way."
The Dutch team, coached by Foppe de Haan, has had a good preparation, winning the ING Cup in Hong Kong last week. The team had a taste of African soccer, defeating Cameroun 2-0 before drawing with Cote d'Ivoire.
(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)