Ecuador eye place in last-16, Van Gaal’s Netherlands look a little further

Ecuador or the Netherlands can take a huge step towards the second round of the World Cup if either can force a victory in Friday’s Group A clash at the Khalifa International Stadium after both sides won their openers in Qatar.

But while Ecuador have set their target of advancing to the round of 16, as they did in Germany in 2006, the Dutch will be looking for a vastly improved performance to back up coach Louis van Gaal’s assertion they can go on and win the World Cup.

The Netherlands were far from their efficient best in beating African champions Senegal 2-0 in their opening game on Monday.

Van Gaal was pleased with the three points, and vindication of his surprise decision to hand goalkeeper Andries Noppert an international debut, but criticised the manner of the victory, as did captain Virgil van Dijk.

“We won but we also know that we can and must do better,” the captain said.

“In attack we sometimes tried to force things and too often left ourselves exposed to Senegal's counterattacks. That is an area where we will need to improve because it is an art that our next opponents, Ecuador, are very good at.

“But I am optimistic because I feel we are going to get better.”

Ecuador are confident that Enner Valencia, who got both goals in their 2-0 win over hosts Qatar on Sunday, will be fit to play despite some concerns over a knee sprain.

Goalkeeper Hernan Galindez said Saudi Arabia’s shock win over Argentina on Tuesday proved no team was unbeatable.

“I think that Argentina's defeat will not be the last surprise of this World Cup,” the 35-year-old said.

“Despite the victory of the Netherlands, they were evenly matched against Senegal. There are certainly ways to hurt the Netherlands.

“It will be a tough match, but I expect the Netherlands to approach us with respect.”

The Dutch will likely give Memphis Depay the start after he came off the bench against Senegal for his first match in two months after struggling with a hamstring injury.