Green light for Dutch duo

Isolated training
Both players were able to resume full training on Tuesday, meaning that with the exception of sidelined Frank de Boer, Dick Advocaat has a complete squad available for the Lisbon encounter. "They can play against Portugal," the coach confirmed, although he kept his cards close to his chest regarding team selection.

No hints
Advocaat had made no secret of his disappointment with Andy van der Meyde's performance against Sweden, going on record after the quarter-final victory to say he would consider replacing the winger. "That is still what I am thinking," he confirmed, without offering any hint as to whether the pace of Marc Overmars or the sharpness of Roy Makaay would be preferred in place of the FC Internazionale man.

Heitinga poised
Wilfred Bouma seemed the likely replacement for De Boer until he pulled out of training prematurely on Tuesday, so John Heitinga could be set for a first start since being sent off in the Group D defeat by the Czech Republic.

Figo threat
Like Van der Meyde, Portugal's Luís Figo has come in for criticism from some quarters but Advocaat knows the threat the Real Madrid CF player poses. "I expect Figo to play," he said. "But we cannot bring in other players just to be able to stop their best players. We have to play with our own strengths in mind."

Cooler weather
Temperatures touched 40C in Lisbon on Tuesday but are forecast to dip below 30C before kick-off on Wednesday - although Advocaat is unfazed. "We have a lot of players in our squad who play, or have played, in southern Europe," he explained. "The fact we have trained in southern Portugal will also benefit us.

Energy loss
"Yes, the heat makes you lose a lot of energy, so it is a question of how you handle that," he added. "It is not possible to keep on attacking all the time. But the Portugal coach will have the same concerns and goals as we have. It will be very interesting to see who comes out on top."