Football
Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent 10y

Van Gaal expects tough Mexico test

FORTALEZA, Brazil - Netherlands boss Louis Van Gaal believes Mexico will pose a greater challenge to his side than group-stage opponents Chile.

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Speaking at his news conference ahead of the match with El Tri in the round of 16, Van Gaal stressed that he was impressed by Chile, whom Netherlands defeated 2-0 in their group finale, but that Mexico have greater strength in depth.

He said Chile have "two fantastic players" -- Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal -- and added: "Vidal didn't play, not against us, so that was a big advantage for us I feel.

"Mexico, if you look at the entire team, I'd say it's a better team. That's the only difference, because they almost play identically. I believe that they play according to their qualities, their skills. They're very eager to win, and this eagerness to win is precisely the best thing about football.

"The same applies to Chile, but Mexico is a bit more eager. You see this is part and parcel of each and every player in their team which is a wonderful thing to see."

Van Gaal confirmed that Leroy Fer is the only player in the squad not fit to play after he picked up a hamstring injury in training.

He added that Bruno Martins Indi is back in full training after recovering from the concussion he sustained against Australia, but the heat and humidity in Fortaleza means the defender will not be in the starting XI.

"You don't really know when an injury is over and done with," he said. "[Martins Indi] trained yesterday, 11 against 11, but that doesn't mean to say that he can face these extreme conditions.

"So I'm not going to expose him to this risk, but he can be a substitute and he can play for 20 minutes or something like that. He'll be on the bench."

The day before the match usually sees both teams practising on the stadium field, but the conditions at the Estadio Castelao have resulted in FIFA forcing both teams to train elsewhere.

"That's a shame, but I do understand the decision taken by FIFA, because the pitch is the most important material for a football player," Van Gaal said. "I just checked the pitch, and indeed, it's not that good."

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