But its coach believes it has the will to advance and secure a place for next year's finals.
"Our players are already on their way in their heads and their hearts," he said. "But we also know our tail is still hanging out. The belief is not the same as the reality.
"Obviously the Dutch are not an easy opponent, they are one of the world's best teams.
"They have some of the single most important players in the world. We are aware of this and we intend to do our utmost against them. What we have done in the other games will not be enough, but we are looking forward to it.
"I will not need to give any sort of team-talk. Nothing I could say will add anything extra."
Netherlands has waltzed its way through Group D, amassing 25 points from its seven games, a draw with
Last week's 8-1 thrashing of
But defender
Those fringe players are now getting their chance and are determined to show
Vlaar is among that number, but is determined to prove his worth after starting against Hungary.
"I want to make it as difficult as possible for the coach," he told NUsport. "I had a number of matches under
"But against Hungary I did well I think, as I have always done when I've started. I was able to take more initiative and it went well, although sometimes I need to show more guts."
Match starts at 2:00 New York time ...