2022 FIFA World Cup
Friday 9th December 2022
Kick off at 7pm GMT
Venue: Lusail Iconic Stadium
Match Preview:
Louis van Gaal has been saying since before the tournament that the Dutch can win the World Cup for the first time. A glance at their side at least on paper would say otherwise and the Netherlands have had much better players in the past, so why could this team win it? One thing that has dogged the Netherlands even in their greatest heights has been team attitude, you can lose count on how many times the team has imploded usually in the dressing room bickering between themselves or having major fall outs with the manager. Here in 2022 lies the greatest difference the players are at peace and so while this isn’t the best bunch of players at least on paper for the Oranje mentality wise it is.
Of course that is not to suggest that the Dutch do not have good players in their side because they absolutely do and that is led by the likes of Matthijs De Ligt, Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake in defence. There is more solid quality in the likes of Denzel Dumfries, Frenkie De Jong and Daley Blind and let’s not forget the forward who has already 3 goals to his name in Cody Gakpo. Perhaps the Dutch don’t get the easiest ride because some of their players have not always had good runs at the huge clubs they ended up joining such as De Ligt when he went to Juventus and De Jong at Barcelona, perhaps simply more was expected of them. As a unit and with van Gaal in charge they look like a dangerous side though.
The Netherlands got here by beating USA 3-1 in the round of 16 and while they had a scare when the Americans pulled one back with a quarter of an hour to go they never looked likely to be a shock and Netherlands deservedly won in the end.
Argentina are one of the tournament favourites and we have seen many sides to them so far. We have seen the shock of them losing their opening game to Saudi Arabia after taking the lead and we have seen them full of star players not always playing at the level you would expect. We have also seen a different attitude to Lionel Messi who has always been a super star even at his ages but he has looked quite tame on the pitch when the chips are down in the past especially for the national side, not any more though. Messi has looked like a lion and he has really galvanised the team and gave them a huge belief in themselves as they went on in their group stages to win must win games against Mexico and Poland. In the round of 16 they despatched Australia 2-1 and while the final score looks close the game wasn’t and Argentina were able to show their class.
Team News:
Netherlands: The Dutch have no injury worries ahead of this clash.
Argentina: Angel Di Maria is recovering well from a slight muscle injury and he should be fit for this game but he will be assessed as precaution. Papu Gomez has an ankle injury and is a doubt for this one.
Netherlands vs Argentina Head to Head:
The teams have only played each other 9 times and Netherlands has the advantage with 4 wins compared to Argentina’s 3 and there has been two draws.
The last time the teams met was a huge match just like this one. It was the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup and the game ended 0-0 after extra time. Argentina won 4-2 on penalties.
Though Argentina have officially three wins over the Netherlands they have only beaten them in 90 minutes once. This was in the final of the 1978 World Cup when they won 3-1.
The last 4 meetings have all seen under 2.5 goals.
Netherlands vs Argentina Prediction:
With no disrespect intended to the earlier game between Croatia and Brazil this one feels like being the first truly epic one for this World Cup. Netherlands have caused Argentina a lot of pain in past meetings. It may have happened 24 years ago but France 98 will still hurt after Dennis Bergkamp struck in the last minute to knock them out. It is true that in 2014 that result was avenged but Argentina have genuinely struggled to beat Netherlands over the years.
Will Lionel Messi’s dream end on Friday evening, it could well be the case and the superstar will have to roll back the years and lead his team forward if they are to make it to the semi-finals. It is hard not to see the Dutch scoring and they have a solid defence but Argentina of course don’t just have Messi. They also have Julian Alvarez who has looked electric up front lately and has displaced Lautaro Martinez now. There is also emerging talent in Enzo Fernandez, so perhaps the South Americans have a few jokers up their sleeve to trouble van Gaal’s side. One telling point is that the Dutch haven’t played much quality to get here it could be said it is the same for Argentina, except that they had to beat a Mexico side in the groups to survive, so maybe just maybe they have been through the rung a bit more and will be more battle weary but more battle ready.
Netherlands vs Argentina Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (0.0 Argentina) at 1.58
Half Time: Correct Score: 0-0 or 1-0 to Argentina at 2.25 and 4.00
Anytime goalscorer: Lionel Messi at 2.50
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