FIFA World Cup: Netherlands vs Argentina, Preview and prediction
The Netherlands and Argentina will square off in the second quarter-final on 9 December 2022, at the Lusail Stadium after defeating the USA and Australia, respectively.
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Will it be the Lionel Messi show against the Dutch?The Netherlands navigated a difficult Round of 16 encounter against the United States with a flawless performance in which they appeared content to lose possession and sit back until the Americans ran out of ideas.
Memphis Depay scored the game's first goal, completing a beautiful 21-pass play with a crisp finish. When Daley Blind slotted home in a similar fashion soon before half-time, the game was effectively finished, leaving Denzel Dumfries to complete a deserved 3-1 victory only minutes after the USA had given themselves hope with a good consolation goal.
The Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber will have the difficult chore of attempting to contain perhaps the best footballer in the world, Lionel Messi.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">📸 The last four <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/adidas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adidas</a> Golden Ball winners <a href="https://t.co/D7IENhUfBf">pic.twitter.com/D7IENhUfBf</a></p>— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/981979450635153410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Argentina are starting to show signs of the form that enabled them to go on a 35-game unbeaten streak, which was abruptly terminated by their shock upset to Saudi Arabia.
Since then, Argentina's performances have improved with successive 2-0 victories over Mexico and Poland. Messi scored his first goal in the World Cup knockout rounds as Argentina defeated Australia 2-1 in the last 16 to advance to a quarter-final matchup with the Netherlands, marking the 1,000th senior appearance of his career.
The expectation is only increased by the chance that it could be Messi's final game on soccer's biggest stage.
Three victories separate the seven-time World Player of the Year from realising his lifelong goal of winning the World Cup for the first time.
We might be in for a treat on Friday night because both sides are improving with each match.
The Dutch have been effective rather than spectacular, but they have a pair of explosive players who can create game-changing moments in Dumfries and Depay.
Although Julian Alvarez appears to be a player with a deadly instinct in front of goal, Argentina's chance seems to rest more on Messi than it should.
Even though the South Americans are the betting favourites, that doesn't mean much at this point, so it wouldn't be surprising to see this match last longer than 90 minutes.
Predicted Line-up
Netherlands: Noppert, Timber, Van Dijk, Ake, Dumfries, De Jong, De Roon, Blind, Klaassen, Gakpo, Depay.
Argentina: Martinez, Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna, Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister, Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez.