Doha, The Netherlands is looking to emerge victorious in its opening World Cup game tomorrow (Monday) against a Senegal team that has to quickly get over the loss of star forward Sadio Mané.

The Dutch team is trying to establish itself as a contender for the title in Qatar alongside the likes of top-ranked Brazil, defending champion France and Argentina.

The Dutch have gained less attention in the buildup to the tournament after failing to qualify for the World Cup in Russia four years ago, but arrive as one of the top form teams in Europe.

Netherlands has lost three World Cup finals — in 1974, 1978 and 2010 — and although there’s a long road ahead in Qatar, the Group A game against African champion Senegal is the biggest early challenge for the Dutch and a good indicator of how far they might go. Host nation Qatar and Ecuador are the other teams in Group A.

Source: Oman News Agency