Prediction and odds: Netherlands (13/5) vs Argentina (6/5)

We’re backing Argentina/Netherlands (HT/FT) at 33/1

When: Friday, 9th December 2022 – 7pm KO (GMT)

Where: Lusail Iconic Stadium

Netherlands and Argentina will collide this week with the winner progressing to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup.

Netherlands

After a poor run that saw them fail to qualify for the last few major tournaments, the Netherlands are back. They have often been described as the best national team to never win the World Cup and based on their performance historically, we’d say that holds up. They are hardly the favourites this time around but even with that being the case, many still fancy them as dark horses.

Louis van Gaal’s side looked composed throughout the course of their run in the group stage and never appeared to be in too much danger, which is why they are one of the only remaining unbeaten nations in the tournament. In the round of 16, they had to overcome a stubborn and gritty USA team with a 3-1 victory to boost their confidence even further.

Argentina

There’s a distinct feeling of ‘one last ride’ for this generation of Argentina players, especially Lionel Messi. They’ve managed to succeed in capturing the Copa America title but the big one, the elusive one, is still the World Cup. They may not have the squad depth but when you look at their fanbase, combined with what their star players can do on their best day, there’s every reason to believe it’s possible.

Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia feels like a lifetime ago now, given that they’ve rattled off six goals and three wins with just one conceded ever since then. They were faced with a tough obstacle in the form of Australia but they pushed through it, winning 2-1 after surviving a late surge from the underdogs that gave them a few things to think about.

Conclusion

This has the potential to be an all-time classic and we’re choosing to believe it’ll somewhat live up to that. We can picture a scenario in which Argentina come out firing, attempting to catch the Dutch off their guard – and we believe they’ll do so by scoring an early goal.

Eventually, though, as we grift into the second half, the Netherlands will be able to get the likes of Depay and Gakpo on the ball. They’ll expose Argentina throughout the core of their squad, scoring twice to take a 2-1 win into the semi-finals.

It may seem or feel like an unlikely or even heartbreaking outcome, but that’s the ruthless nature of the World Cup. The winner will go on to battle either Brazil or Croatia in the semi-finals, showcasing just how strong the latter stages of this FWC are looking.

Our tips (all taken from bet365): Argentina/Netherlands (HT/FT) at 33/1 + over 2.5 goals at 13/10

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