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The Netherlands vs Argentina will decide one team of the four semifinalists of the FIFA World Cup 2022. The Dutch convincingly defeated their last 16 opponents, the USA with a score of 3-1. As for Argentina although they were almost dominant for the majority of the match in the round of 16, the last few minutes became solidly tight for them when Australia modified their 2-0 lead to 2-1 and on a few or two occasions came notably close to an equalizer.

This is the ninth quarterfinals for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup while the Dutch are entering the last eight for the seventh time. They both missed out on the last tournament in Russia where Argentina had to go home from the last 16 after a 4-3 defeat to France while the Netherlands didn’t qualify for the competition at all.

Argentina may be the sternest test so far for the Netherlands. Before the shocking defeat to Saudi Arabia, Argentina’s last defeat was in the summer of 2019. The Dutch too haven’t conceded a game since the summer of 2021 and are still unbeaten under van Gaal’s current tutelage.

The Netherlands vs Argentina Team News And Expected Lineups

The Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal shouldn’t see a reason to tease his starting lineups; the first men who were dominant in the match against the USA are enough to withstand and compete against Argentina’s quality. Barcelona forward Memphis Depay who scored the opening goal versus the Americans will be a legit threat to the Argentinians. PSV forward Cody Gapko although wasn’t as impressive in the last match will still be among the men to kick the ball from the first minute. There’s still competition between Bayern Munich’s defender Matthijs de Light and Manchester City Nathan Ake but the latter seems more likely to start. Ajax midfielder Davy Klassen and Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon started the last game and do look like a fair bet to proceed again.

Argentina is well expected to be without Juventus winger Angel de Maria pairing alongside Lionel Messi as the 34-year-old is still recovering from an injury. Having said that, Manchester City’s summer signing Julian Alvarez who has been giving a stellar performance so far has the best chance to start. He though may face a bit of a competition with his teammate, Lautaro Martinez who frankly hasn’t met his potential in this tournament. Papu Gomez seems likely to be the first choice given the aforesaid scenario and also despite his below-average form.

Possible Lineups

Netherlands: Noppert; Timber, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, De Roon, De Jong, Blind; Klaasen; Gakpo, Depay

Argentina: Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez

The Netherlands vs Argentina Predictions

While Argentina entered the world cup with the best defensive record until Saudi Arabia ended their 36 unbeaten game streak, their match against the Netherlands has an utmost probability to be a closed one. The Netherlands seem unlikely to score as many goals against Argentina as they did versus the USA. A rather safe bet would be on both teams to score; the game however may not see more than 2.5 goals altogether. A typical Messi goal like the first ones against Mexico and Australia may be in the cards. Like those matches, it might take a while but Argentina’s captain is likely to be on the scoresheet and maybe even win yet another man of the match.

La Albiceleste also looks improbable to get out of the match unscathed. And the man to scar them could be none other than their most in-form scorers C Gapko or Internazionale right-back Denzel Dumfries. If the South Americans failed to provide him with needed attention, they could really be in trouble. The possibility of the game going all the way to the penalties shouldn’t be discarded either. The last time they met at the FIFA World Cup did end up in the shoot-outs where Lionel Messi and his team edged out the Oranje with a penalty score of 4-2. This time though we are counting on the moment of magic from certain someone to settle the game in their favor.

Projected Scoreline: The Netherlands 1-3 Argentina

The Netherlands vs Argentina Most Recent Odds

Source: Sporting News 

The Netherlands vs Argentina Previous Stats Of Each Team