Thursday Sep 29 2005 07:56
Latvia coach Aleksandrs Starkovs is looking forward to the challenge of helping his side clinch a surprise place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004.
Victory over Holland would complete a fairytale first finals appearance for the Baltic state, who have drawn with Germany after losing narrowly 2-1 to the Czech Republic.
Starkovs said: "We've shown we can play big teams.
"We have a realistic chance to reach the quarter-finals. It's already a victory to still be talking about making it into the last eight before the third group game.
"We can play attacking football but - as against Germany - we can play defensively and still create more chances than our opponents.
"The draw against Germany is without a doubt our most significant international result because it was in a finals and because it was against the Germans.
"But our job now is to be ready to give our maximum against the Netherlands.
"The Czechs have secured the first place in the group and of course they'll approach the Germany game differently.
"They will probably bring in some reserves, but they will want to prove themselves to their coach."
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