Holland coach Bert van Marwijk is predicting a battle royal against the "fighters" of Uruguay in Tuesday's semi-final but believes his Dutch players have added some steel to their renowned brand of attractive football.

The Dutch are the clear favourites to make it to Sunday's final, especially with Robin van Persie declared fit and the South Americans' striker Luis Suarez suspended following his now infamous hand-ball that led to Ghana's agonising exit.

Van Marwijk said: "Uruguay are a team of fighters. They battle and survive. That is why they have reached the semi-finals. We must certainly not underestimate them, otherwise things will go wrong for us."