Louis van Gaal expects a tough match when Netherlands hosts Turkey in Amsterdam on Tuesday evening.
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Netherlands go into the game one point behind group leaders Turkey, who won the reverse fixture 4-2 earlier in the year.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of the game, Van Gaal said on the opponents, “The countries in the group show that they can all win and lose against each other. But we can take a very important step. It is an advantage that we play at home; against Montenegro the fans were great too. But Turkey can play great football. Of the three opponents this week, I think this is the toughest game.”
Van Gaal thinks he knows how Turkey will play in the game, “You never know with Turkey, but that coach has been disciplined. I have the idea that he will play compact and on the counter. We start from ourselves. I help the players with tactical solutions.”
The Oranje boss is expecting a very motivated performance from Turkey, “Everyone would like to win against the Netherlands, so the coach of Turkey has it easier in that regard.”
Netherlands will be without Cody Gakpo, who is injured, but Van Gaal would not reveal whether this affects his game plan, “I don’t want to make their trainer any wiser than he already is. He is already very good anyway, because he lets Turkey play in the game discipline. He has smart players, really only players who play at the top. In the team, we expect there are only two players who play in Turkey, and they also play for top teams Fenerbahçe and Besiktas.”
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