NETHERLANDS BACK AS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH AS SCOTLAND VISIT

Twice in the past 10 years the Netherlands have failed to qualify for major competitions with the finger pointed at those who kept returning to the ‘old guard’ to get them through.

Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie are all legendary footballers in this country but the over-reliance on them in their veteran years came at a cost as places at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup passed them by.

For the former, they won just four times in qualifying, finishing fourth under Guus Hiddink and Danny Blind before Dick Advocaat failed to take them to Russia during his third and final stint in charge of the national side.