van PERSIE
Robin van Persie trained with his Holland team-mates on
Wednesday as he prepared for a potential comeback appearance in the World Cup
qualifier against France.
Van Persie has not appeared for
Holland since October 2015 - when he scored at both ends in a 3-2 Euro 2016
qualifying loss to Czech Republic.
His form for club side Fenerbahce
has since earned him a recall after two years out in the cold and he looked
ready to seize the opportunity on Wednesday, as he was put through his paces
during a training session at the Stade de France.
The ex-Manchester United and Arsenal
striker is bidding to help Holland turn around their fortunes after they missed
out on qualification for Euro 2016.
But Dick Advocaat's men face a tough
task in Group A, as they sit three points behind second-placed France with just
four games remaining.
Only the first-placed team are
guaranteed qualification for Russia 2018 with the eight best runners-up from
the nine groups entering a two-legged play-off tie.
Van Persie was joined by the likes
of Wesley Sneijder, Daley Blind and Arjen Robben as Holland prepared for the
first of two World Cup qualifiers - they face Bulgaria on Saturday after
Thursday's clash with France.
And despite the strength of France's star-studded squad,
Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben is upbeat on Holland's chances in Paris.
'Of course, France have, in terms of
quality, a really good team, but I don't want to talk about them,' Robben said
ahead of Thursday's match at the Stade de France.
'I think we must not think that we
are not as good, we must be convinced of our own qualities and believe that we
can beat them.
'I'm always very positive. We can
well say that it will be difficult because France have a better team, but if
you think like that, then you might as well stay at home.
'We must go to Paris with conviction. It is a bit like the
situation at the World Cup in 2014. If you believe in something and have the
requisite ambition, you can go far.'
Holland managed a third-placed
finish at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but have since struggled - Advocaat's
predecessor Danny Blind lost his job following a defeat at Bulgaria in
March.
Van Persie has made 101 appearances
for Holland in total since making his international debut in 2005, scoring 50
goals in the process.
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