The Netherlands improbably find themselves just one win away from returning to the World Cup finals after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Costa Rica. The Dutch have one more obstacle to hurdle in the form of Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who overcame Belgium to seal a first trip to the semifinal since 1990.
Dutch manager Louis van Gaal has had the Midas touch with his decision-making throughout this tournament, but will it be enough to offset Messi’s magic? Find our preview of the Brazil vs. Germany semifinal here, read on to learn more about this semifinal showdown, and create a betting account now to win big on what should be one of the best semifinals in World Cup history.
[sc:Soccer ]Netherlands vs. Argentina, World Cup 2014, Semifinal Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Arena Corinthians, São Paulo, Brazil
When: Wednesday, July 9, 2014, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Netherlands +200 vs. Argentina +122, tie +205; total 2.0 – view all World Cup lines
Betting on the Netherlands
Seemingly everything the Dutch manager Louis van Gaal touches in this World Cup has turned to gold. His spot-on tactics engineered a 5-1 demolition of defending champions, Spain. His decision to replace Robin van Persie with Klaas Jan Huntelaar led to their dramatic comeback win over Mexico.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]And with a penalty shootout looming, his gutsy and unorthodox move to sub out his goalkeeper paid off as Tim Krul made two great saves to see the Dutch past Costa Rica in the quarterfinal.
Van Gaal’s next test will be to come up with a gameplan to limit the threat of Lionel Messi. That task will be a little more difficult without the injured defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong, but don’t discount van Gaal’s resourcefulness and creativity to get the job done.
Perhaps van Gaal can lend his golden touch to star striker, Robin van Persie. The Dutch captain has now failed to score in his last three matches after exploding with three in the first two games. He and strike partner Arjen Robben, who has remained a threat but also hasn’t scored in the last three games, will need to rediscover their shooting boots if the Netherlands hope to break past the Argentinian defense.
The duo excelled when the team played a counterattacking game, as they showed against Spain and Chile. With Argentina looking to be the aggressors in the semifinal, expect the Netherlands to rediscover some of those spaces they used to break with devastating effect earlier in the tournament.
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Betting on Argentina
It was a case of good news/bad news for Argentina in their 1-0 quarterfinal win over Belgium. The good news: struggling striker Gonzalo Higuain finally got off the mark in the tournament as his early goal was enough to see the Argentinians through. The bad news: Angel Di Maria, who was arguably the team’s best player next to Lionel Messi, suffered a thigh injury and could be out against the Netherlands.
Di Maria’s absence would force manager Alejandro Sabella to make some more alterations to an attack that has struggled to fire on all cylinders over the course of the tournament.
Sabella has gone with a 4-4-2 formation in the last two games, but if the Netherlands decides to line up with five midfielders, the Argentinians could find themselves overrun in that part of the pitch. It’ll be up wingers Ezequiel Lavezzi and likely Di Maria replacement Enzo Perez to keep the Dutch wingbacks well-occupied on defense.
But offensively, the team goes where Messi will take them. Messi has turned facilitator in the past two games, but he’s always a threat to add to his four goals in this tournament. The absence of defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong should also give Messi a clearer path toward a Dutch defense that isn’t particularly rock solid.
It’s vital for Argentina to prevent conceding early against the Netherlands, which would allow the Dutch to play their dangerous counterattacking game. Based on recent performances, their defense looks up to the task; they have yet to concede a goal in 210 minutes in the knockout rounds.
Writer’s Prediction
van Gaal’s scheming falls short as Messi’s magical touch finds the gaps in the Dutch defense and fires Argentina (+122) into the World Cup finals.
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