Sneijder: Netherlands face two finals to reach France

Wesley Sneijder says Netherlands must embrace their last Euro 2016 qualifiers as “two finals” as the aim to snatch a play-off spot from Turkey.

The Dutch’s dismal campaign to date has left them out of the running for the automatic qualifying spots and they sit two points behind Turkey in the race to finish third in the group.

Sneijder has urged his side to aim for maximum points against both Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic even though their fate ultimately remains out of their hands.

“We need to get six points, it’s as simple as that,” he told NOS. “We’ve said a couple of times now that there are two finals on the programme, but now it really has come to that.

“These are the last two matches. We just have to win and wait for Turkey’s results.”

Sneijder went on to confirm he could be forced to leave the Netherlands camp should wife Yolanthe go into labour prior to their upcoming games.

“When the contractions start, I’m gone. My wife Yolanthe insisted that I go to the national team, and I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t.”

Defender Virgil van Dijk, meanwhile, accepts Netherlands have only themselves to blame for risking a failure to qualify for a first major tournament since the 2002 World Cup.

“Oranje only have one goal, and that’s to qualify for the European Championship,” he told Algemeen Dagblad. “We have to win our next two games, it doesn’t matter how. Then we’ll see if it’s enough.

“It’s very annoying that we’ve let it come to that. But our focus is on the next two games.”