Kuyt wants Euro chance

Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt is aiming to continue his recent good run of form to cement a place in Holland coach Marco van Basten's Euro 2008 squad.

The 27-year-old was on Tuesday included in Van Basten's provisional 30-man group, which will be trimmed down to 26 players on May 16 and then cut to 23 by May 28.

And he is keen to still be involved when the finals get under way next month.

"I first hoped to be part of the first 30 players. Now I of course want to go to Euro 2008 too," Kuyt told Radio 538 show Evers Staat Op on Wednesday.

"I hope Marco van Basten will keep on thinking about me now. I must show it on the field and I think I did that in the last games.

"But it is of course not easy for the coach. We have many good strikers, but I think I am a fine addition to the squad."

Kuyt admits, however, that he has not had contact with Van Basten for some time and discovered he was part of the provisional Oranje party on Teletext.

"That has happened for years," he said. "Through Teletext you hear if you are in or out.

"It seems that he (Van Basten) was at the Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool. He did speak with Ryan Babel afterwards, I missed out on him."

Kuyt was overlooked by Van Basten when he struggled for goals at Anfield earlier in the campaign but, if selected, would relish the opportunity to shine in Austria and Switzerland this summer.

"It happens only once every four years. It was no fun to me to not be selected for some games after three years. But I still hope to be there," he said.

Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07052008/58/euro-2008-kuyt-prays-euro-chance.html