Van der Vaart likely to replace De Jong

(GSM) – Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart is likely to replace Nigel de Jong in the Netherlands’ Euro 2012 qualifier against Moldova on Friday.

Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk banned De Jong from his team after the player’s heavy foul on Hatem Ben Arfa last weekend, leaving the spot in midfield up for grabs.

The two main candidates for the spot are Demy de Zeeuw of Ajax and Van der Vaart, with the latter most likely to appear in the starting line-up based on Thursday’s training session.

The session also unveiled that Van Marwijk is likely to field Erik Pieters as left-back, replacing the injured Vurnon Anita.