The Netherlands' comprehensive win over Romania in their last match at the European Championship has given them a large dollop of confidence ahead of their quarter-final tie against Turkey on Saturday, coach Ronald Koeman said on the eve of the clash.
The Dutch enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 victory in their round of 16 game to show a major improvement after squeezing through the first phase in third position in their group.
"It shouldn't be that we need a defeat to spark a good performance and come out of our shell," said Koeman of the triumph over Romania, which followed a 3-2 loss to Austria.
"But we created a lot of chances and showed a lot of speed up front. It was good game even if the opponent gave us a lot of room."
Koeman warned, however, that Turkey would be a tougher proposition.
"This is a different opponent with different qualities. They have played with four at the back, but also with five. Just like the Romanians, they showed a lot of heart in how they play. But we are more worried about ourselves.
"We are playing in Berlin for a semi-final, a great opportunity to progress even further in the tournament.
But we're not just going to romp to a win, that certainly won’t be the case. It's going to be a very difficult game," he told Friday’s pre-match press conference.
Koeman said he felt Turkey would offer his side space to exploit. "We’ve just got to be patient with the ball and keep possession," he said.
"The Turks are very enthusiastic and good on the ball. They have also seen us against Romania and will probably look to have our measure."
Koeman said it had not been an easy tournament for the fancied sides. "All the big teams have struggled at different times. England needed a late goal to survive, Portugal went through on penalties. You have to fight all the way."
The Netherlands will give Steven Bergwijn a late fitness test on Saturday morning as he struggles with a knee injury, but Koeman said key defender Nathan Ake was fit to play after battling with niggles over the last few days.
Turkey's pride will not be dented by the suspension handed to defender Merih Demiral for a political gesture, coach Vincenzo Montella said.
European soccer's governing body UEFA announced on Friday that the 26-year-old centre back, who celebrated a goal against Austria by making a "wolf" gesture with his fingers, would be suspended for two games, thus missing the clash with the Dutch.
The gesture made by Demiral is linked to the "Grey Wolves", an ultra-nationalist youth branch of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is an ally of President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party.
"We consider it unfair, this ban, because it was not a political gesture - it was interpreted as such, but it was just something that was not properly understood," Turkey's Italian coach Montella told reporters.
"But this will not put a break on the Turkish pride. Actually, we will be more passionate, more proud. We want to make the country proud, and I'm sure we will all be highly motivated, and this goes for the fans as well."
With Berlin boasting one of the biggest Turkish diasporas in the world, Montella expects strong support in the stands.
"Our fans have been extraordinary so far, full of passion. They really have conveyed to us all the passion and love, from the hotel to the stadium, back to the hotel.
"We have always been very correct as well. And that's what I expect from them tomorrow - great support."
The 50-year-old coach said players and fans alike must control their feelings on Saturday, especially when it comes to Demiral's ban.
"They must show that Turkish pride, they must be close to the team and support us, even when we are having hard times. Now regarding Merhi, we have to manage our emotions before the match, during the match, internal emotions, external emotions," he said.
"We are the youngest team at the tournament, and emotions factor in when you play these matches.
Some players are more experienced, they're used to playing certain matches, they're used to preparing for these matches and they have a bit of an edge.
"So we must be able to manage all of this emotional sphere and transform it into energy and field it because we're younger, and in a way we can have more energy, and this can give us an edge," Montella said.
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