Robin van Persie
van Gaal hoping to find the balance against Spain.

Netherlands and Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben are the two individuals who give his side "the extra dimension" needed to unlock Spain in their World Cup opener.

In a repeat of the 2010 final Netherlands must find a way past the world champions in what is expected to be a fiercely competitive group battle to qualify for the knock out stages of the competition.

While the Oranje will be considered second favourites to quality, a good start is vital to what is van Gaal's last competition in charge, and the incoming United boss is confident his side has the perfect balance of flair and battle hardened tenacity to quell the threat of Vicente del Bosque's side.

"I think that I have players who can give the team an extra dimension, specifically the two captains, [Robin] van Persie and Robben, but also Wesley Sneijder and Nigel de Jong. They are naturally very authoritative guys who also play football at the highest level. That is of course important in the hierarchical world of football," van Gaal told Fifa's official website.

"As for our chances, they are the same as they are for every other country. We all start from zero and we'll see what happens. It is certainly a heavyweight group we're going to play in though. Spain are number one, Chile are catching up and are right behind us.

"Australia are supposed to be the weakest country in the group but, strange as it may sound, they've never lost to the Netherlands. They are an opponent to be feared. Nevertheless, I can say we have a good chance of making it through to the next round."