Friday, March 27, 2015

Sneijder: I'll celebrate if I score against Turkey

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Netherlands stand-in captain Wesley Sneijder has thrown sentiment aside by suggesting he will celebrate if he scores against Turkey on Saturday.

The midfielder has spent two years playing at Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray, whom he joined from Inter, but doubts he will keep his composure if he scores in their Euro 2016 qualifier.

"I will cheer and celebrate if I score against Turkey!" Sneijder, 30, told reporters on Friday. "Although I don't know for certain yet because we will have to wait to see what kind of match it is.

"I expect a lot of Turkish fans but even more Dutch fans. I haven't had much contact with my Turkish team-mates; just this week, I don't need to speak to them.

"It's special that I've been given back the captain's armband. The low period in which I lost the armband to Robin van Persie has been put behind me."

Manchester United striker Van Persie is one of two high-profile, injured absentees from Guus Hiddink's squad for the international break alongside Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben.

The Dutch coach was hesitant to reveal who would fill their boots in the starting XI but expects a difficult encounter against the fourth-placed Group A side, who could leapfrog them with a win this weekend.

"We have to replace Robben and Van Persie - that is not going to be easy," the veteran trainer said.

"We have to choose two other players. I can't tell you who that will be, because I want to inform the players first. That has always been my policy.

"I expect a tough and intense game. I have worked at Turkey, Sneijder plays there, Turkey midfielder Colin Kazim-Richards plays at Feyenoord. These are all things that give extra motivation.

"But that doesn't mean we just want to fight them. I like matches that are intense, but in these matches we can also show that we can play good football."

Netherlands lost two of their opening four European Championship qualifiers and they are already six points behind leaders Czech Republic, while minnows Iceland are three points clear of the World Cup 2014 semi-finalists.

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