Koeman: unused Oranje stars could feature vs Tunisia

Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman has not ruled out giving minutes to unused World Cup squad members in Thursday’s clash with Tunisia. The Oranje need a positive result to top Group F, though the outcome also depends on Japan’s result against Sweden. Koeman stressed that performance remains the priority but left the door open for changes. "First we want to be good and keep improving during the tournament," he said. "But as the game goes on you might make different choices based on the score." He added: "If there’s room to bring on players who haven’t played yet, we’ll see." The Dutch target top spot in Group F when they face Tunisia in the early hours of Friday. Japan can overtake them if they beat Sweden by a larger margin. "The most important thing is us," Koeman said. "We just want to play well, go for the win and if there’s extra space to give minutes to other players, we’ll use it." Three Dutch players face suspension if cautioned against Tunisia: Crysencio Summerville, Memphis Depay and Micky van de Ven. A single yellow card would rule them out of the Round of 16.

Koeman warns Netherlands of Tunisia's 'short-circuit' risk

Koeman’s comments came during Wednesday’s pre-match press conference in Qatar. He fielded questions on squad rotation and the pressure of topping the group. The Oranje have already secured a draw and a win in their opening two matches.

Afellay urges Koeman to bench Brobbey for Tunisia clash

The Netherlands travel to Al Janoub Stadium for the final group fixture. Kick-off is scheduled for 20:00 local time on Thursday, with a 21:00 local time slot reserved as a contingency.