[OS oefenen] België - Nederland, RTL7 wo. 23-7 20.00

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The past
Belgium peaked early as far as the Men's Olympic Football Tournament is concerned. Winners of the title on home soil in 1920, the Red Devils last appeared at the competition in 1928 - Jean-Francois De Sart's young guns ending this 80-year drought by qualifying for Beijing 2008. Despite being deprived of several key players, the Belgian side reached the semi-finals of the continental qualifying competition, where they were finally dispatched by Serbia. To get there, the Diablotins had emerged from a very tough group comprising Portugal, the Netherlands and Israel, an achievement that helped inject a much-needed dose of optimism into Belgian football. Once on Dutch soil, the team's spirit and defensive solidity shone through in the 0-0 draw with Portugal and a 1-0 success over Israel. These results were followed by a thrilling 2-2 draw against their neighbours and competition hosts, Kevin Mirallas and Sebastien Pocognoli scoring the goals to send Belgium through to the final four and a place in China.

The present
Ahead of the friendly encounter with Morocco on 26 March, Belgium senior coach Rene Vandereycken included eleven players also eligible for the Olympic team, thereby confirming his faith in the work being carried out by De Sart at youth level. And it would appear to be a wise decision, with the quality of the 85-89 generation bordering on the unprecedented in Belgian football. Vincent Kompany (Hamburg), Marouane Fellaini (Standard Liege), Jan Verthongen and Thomas Vermaelen (Ajax), Haris Faroun (Genk), Kevin Mirallas (Lille) and Moussa Dembele (AZ Alkmaar) are all first-teamers at their clubs. In addition to these heroes from the summer of 2007, De Sart has begun the qualifying campaign for the next European U-21 Championship by blending in new finds such as Reginal Goreux, Landry Mulemo (Standard Liege), Timothy Derijck, Massimo Moia and Jeanvion Yulu-Matondo.

The future
Jean-Francois De Sart has relied heavily on the experience of the EURO 2007 semi-finalists to build an ambitious team with talent in all areas. The sole cause for concern centres on the physical condition of his established players after a gruelling league season with their clubs. And the defeat suffered by the new-look Red Devils at the hands of Morocco in March 2008 raises doubts about the team's ability to withstand the pressures of a major event.

Facts

Former stars
Armand Swartenbroeks, Joseph Musch, Oscar Verbeeck (1920, 1924)

Key players
Vincent Kompany (defence), Moussa Dembele (forward), Marouane Fellaini (midfield), Maarten Martens (midfield), Jan Vertonghen (defence)

Qualifying statistics
In what was their first European Championship finals' involvement since 2002, Belgium went unbeaten in their three group matches, conceding just two goals in the process. In the semi-finals, the Belgians were beaten 2-0 by Serbia.

The numbers game
11 - the number of players born between 1985 and 1989 called up by Rene Vandereycken for the senior international friendly against Morocco in March 2008.

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SELECTIE OLYMPISCHE SPELEN


NAAM Voornaam Geboortedatum Club Positie

BAILLY Logan 27-12-1985 KRC Genk Doelman
DE WINTER Yves 25-5-1987 KVC Westerlo Doelman
MA-KALAMBAY Yves 31-1-1986 Hibernians FC (SCO) Doelman

CIMAN Laurent 5-8-1985 Club Brugge KV Verdediger
DE ROOVER Sepp 12-11-1984 FC Groningen (NED) Verdediger
KOMPANY Vincent 10-4-1986 Hamburger SV (GER) Verdediger
MULEMO Landry 17-9-1986 R. Standard CL Verdediger
POCOGNOLI Sébastien 1-8-1987 AZ Alkmaar (NED) Verdediger
VERMAELEN Thomas 14-11-1985 Ajax Amsterdam (NED) Verdediger
VERTONGHEN Jan 24-4-1987 Ajax Amsterdam (NED) Verdediger

FELLAINI Marouane 22-11-1988 R. Standard CL Middenvelder
HAROUN Faris 22-9-1985 KRC Genk Middenvelder
MARTENS Maarten 2-7-1984 AZ Alkmaar (NED) Middenvelder
ODJIDJA OFOE Vadis 21-2-1989 Hamburger SV (GER) Middenvelder
SIMAEYS Jeroen 12-5-1985 Club Brugge KV Middenvelder
VANDEN BORRE Anthony 24-10-1987 Genoa CFC (ITA) Middenvelder

DEMBELE Moussa 16-7-1987 AZ Alkmaar (NED) Aanvaller
DE MUL Tom 4-3-1986 FC Seville (ESP) Aanvaller
DE SMET Stijn 27-3-1985 Cercle Brugge KSV Aanvaller
LAMAH Roland 31-12-1987 RSC Anderlecht Aanvaller
MIRALLAS Kevin 5-10-1987 Lille OSC (FRA) Aanvaller
ROSSINI Giuseppe 23-8-1986 Yellow Red KV Mechelen Aanvaller

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The past
For a nation with such a proud football history, the Netherlands have under-performed in Olympic qualifying in recent times. Despite gaining three bronze medals prior to the Second World War [1908, 1912, 1920], the Dutch have not participated in the men's tournament since 1952. They reached a play-off for the 1992 tournament but were denied a place in Barcelona by Australia in an inter-confederation play-off.

The present
The Dutch derived full benefit from hosting the UEFA European U-21 Championship, which doubled as a qualifying tournament for the Men's Olympic Football Tournament; the four semi-finalists doubling as Europe's representatives in Beijing. Despite the absence of star striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, the Dutch took just two games to confirm their presence at the Olympic Games, successive 1-0 wins over Israel and Portugal booking them a place in the semi-finals. The Jong Oranje went on to become European U-21 Champions as well, defeating Serbia in the tournament final.

The future
Jong Oranje coach Foppe de Haan will be able to call upon a number of players competing at the top level in Europe, including Liverpool winger Ryan Babel and Valencia's Hedwiges Maduro, a member of the Dutch squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™. De Haan has every reason to be confident following his team's success in the European U-21 Championship - the second continental triumph in a row for the Dutch. "There are a lot of young players coming into the team at the moment, so Dutch football has plenty of good times ahead," said the veteran coach.

Facts

Former Stars
Jan Vos (1912) and Ber Groosjohan (1920)

Key Players
Ryan Babel (midfield), Royston Drenthe (midfield), Hedwiges Maduro (midfield).

Qualifying Statistics
Three wins and two draws from five games; ten goals scored, five conceded.

The numbers game
56 - the number of years since the Dutch have competed in the FIFA Men's Olympic Football Tournament.

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DOEL
Piet Velthuizen 03.11.1986 Vitesse
Kenneth Vermeer 10.01.1986 Ajax
Verdediging
Kew Jaliens* 15.09.1978 AZ
Calvin Jong-A-Pin 18.07.1986 sc Heerenveen
Kees Luijckx 11.02.1986 AZ
Dirk Marcellis 13.04.1988 PSV
Erik Pieters 07.08.1988 PSV
Gianni Zuiverloon 30.12.1986 West Bromwich Albion
Middenveld
Otman Bakkal 27.02.1985 PSV
Urby Emanuelson 16.06.1986 Ajax
Jonathan de Guzman 13.09.1987 Feyenoord
Hedwiges Maduro 13.02.1985 Valencia
Evander Sno 09.04.1987 Celtic
Aanval
Ryan Babel 19.12.1986 Liverpool
Roy Beerens 22.12.1987 sc Heerenveen
Royston Drenthe 08.04.1987 Real Madrid
Roy Makaay* 09.03.1975 Feyenoord
Gerald Sibon* 19.04.1974 sc Heerenveen
Reservespelers
Tim Krul 03.04.1988 Newcastle United
Christian Kum 13.09.1985 ADO Den Haag
Siem de Jong 28.01.1989 Ajax
Nordin Amrabat 31.03.1987 PSV
* Dispensatiespeler Olympisch elftal; geboren voor 1 januari 1985