Holland defender Joris Mathijsen is confident he will be fit for his country's Euro 2012 opener against Denmark on Saturday.
It is typically Dutch to call me injury-prone, claims Holland defender
Holland defender Joris Mathijsen is confident he will be fit for his country's Euro 2012 opener against Denmark on Saturday.
The Malaga player suffered a hamstring injury in a friendly against Bulgaria on May 26th, but is adamant it will not affect his participation in the tournament.
Indeed, the 32-year-old is frustrated by those who have labelled him injury-prone after his season was disrupted by thigh and back problems.
Mathijsen told
De Telegraaf: "It is typically Dutch, I think, that I suddenly seem to be labelled injury-prone.
"Apparently my age, in combination with two injuries, is a reason to doubt my fitness even though I have never had a long-term injury in my entire career.
"The first test in the dressing room seemed to indicate that there was no evidence of a tear, only a strain, and the MRI scan happily confirmed that.
"The way I feel now, I will be fine."
Strike pairing
Much of the attention in Holland's build-up to the tournament has focused on the other end of the pitch, with a real debate over the shape of the Oranje forward line.
Arsenal's Robin van Persie scored twice in the 6-0 win over Northern Ireland on Saturday.
But the Premier League top scorer faces competition from the Bundesliga's leading marksman, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of Schalke, who was prolific for the Dutch in qualifying.
Although Bert van Marwijk has favoured a 4-2-3-1 formation, he has not ruled out the possibility of unleashing the pair in tandem this summer.
"Of course they can play together," he said. "Robin is an elusive striker but he has proved that he can also be a killer in the penalty area.
"Klaas-Jan is a goalscorer and he is getting better with every match in the national team."
