They need just a point against Qatar on Tuesday to qualify for the last 16.

"I think you always have to identify the goal, the purpose for which you are here," said the Dutch manager.

"Then you can work your way towards that purpose. If you don't identify that purpose and say 'the last 16 or the quarter-finals is enough', that isn't the right way to do things."

The Netherlands are level on four points with Ecuador in Group A and both teams have the same goal difference. They will still qualify if they lose to Qatar, provided the South American side beat Senegal.

Van Gaal, who is in his third spell as the national side's coach and oversaw a third-placed finish at the World Cup in 2014, said his squad share his vision on how far they can go.

He added: "I never said we're going to become world champion, I said we can become it, that we have a chance, and the players have also become convinced of that."

Qatar, meanwhile, are bottom of the group and cannot progress further in the tournament following a 2-0 defeat by Ecuador and 3-1 loss to Senegal.

"I don't feel disappointed or embarrassed," said Qatar manager Felix Sanchez.

"I think these players have shown they can compete in many competitions. A World Cup is the most demanding competition."

TEAM NEWS

The Netherlands forward Memphis Depay will not be rushed back into the starting XI after suffering a hamstring injury two months before the start of the World Cup.

Centre-back Matthijs de Ligt is one yellow card away from a suspension, so Jurrien Timber could keep his place in Van Gaal's defence.

Qatar are likely to remain unchanged as they try to avoid becoming the first host nation to exit without winning at least a point.

MATCH FACTS

• The Netherlands have won all four of their World Cup matches against Asian sides, scoring 11 goals and conceding just once. This is their first ever meeting with Qatar in any competition.
• Qatar have lost both of their 2022 World Cup matches; no single host nation has ever lost as many as three matches at an edition of the tournament.
• The Netherlands managed just two shots at goal in their 1-1 draw with Ecuador; that was the fewest efforts at goal by a European nation in a World Cup match on record (since 1966).
• The host country has won their final group-stage match in five of the last six World Cup tournaments (including both Japan and South Korea as joint-hosts in 2002), with Russia losing 3-0 to Uruguay in 2018 in the other.