Holland to turn to Schalke star in search of cutting edge

After failing to find the net in their Euro 2012 opener with Denmark, Holland are set to restore Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to their starting lineup, with the imposing striker 8/1 to score first.

A lack of a cutting edge was evident in the Netherlands’ opening tournament outing, as a host of chances went to waste as Bert van Marwijk’s men succumbed to a 1-0 defeat.

With victory now essential for Dutch hopes of qualifying as they take on Germany, van Marwijk is ready to turn to a player who scored more goals than the amount of games he played in at club level last season.

Somewhat ironically, Huntelaar plies his trade in Germany, where he notched 48 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions last term, and he will be eager to aid his team-mates to triumph at 2/1 tonight.

Huntelaar’s record for the national side is mightily impressive too, and a tally of 31 strikes in 54 international outings will encourage punters to back a Dutch win involving a Huntelaar goal at 5/1.

Whilst Germany got off to a narrow winning start against Portugal, they may struggle to justify 6/4 odds for success tonight, given the Dutch’s greater need for points.

Striker Huntelaar appears primed to replace Barcelona midfielder Ibrahim Afellay for tonight’s clash, seemingly indicating a more attacking approach will be adopted by Holland in this game.

That could lead to a further increased volume of chances, and Huntelaar appears a tremendous price at 11/4 to convert one of his opportunities, and find the net at any time against Germany.

Indeed, the Netherlands had 28 attempts on goal in their opening tie, and it is likely that far more than eight of those efforts would have been on target, had Huntelaar been on the pitch for longer than the 20 minutes he was afforded.

He is 8/1 to be named tonight’s man-of-the-match, and as a potential match-winner, he could be worth a punt in that market.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.