The round of 16 is finally over, and eight teams have qualified for the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup. However, Argentina will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals at the Lusail Stadium. Both teams are determined to go to the semifinals.
In the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Argentina played against the Dutches in the semifinal. That time, the Albiceleste beat the Netherlands in a crucial penalty shootout to go to the final, where they lost against Germany. However, both sides will face again in the knockout stage, while the Dutches are aiming for revenge, and Argentina will try to repeat history.
World Cup Journey
Argentina and the Netherlands are among the favorites in the Qatar World Cup. Both teams have very strong squads which are capable of winning the world cup. Unfortunately, Argentina started their world cup journey with a big shock. They lost their opening game against Saudia Arabia, breaking the 36-game unbeaten run.
However, the Scaloni boys responded quickly and defeated Mexico and Poland to go to the last 16 as the Group Champion. Moreover, Argentina defeated Australia by a 2-1 margin to qualify for the quarterfinals.
On the other hand, the Netherlands are yet to lose a match in the Qatar World Cup. They were also the group champion in Group A, winning two and tying one. Furthermore, the Dutches defeated the Golden Generation of the USA to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Team News
Fans all over the world of Argentina are worried about the fitness of Angel Di Maria. The Juventus forward missed the clash against Australia in the round of 16 due to injury. He is still in doubt for the match against the Netherlands.
However, the manager gave a day’s rest to the players of Argentina on Saturday. But Angel Di Maria was the only player to train alone on that day. He is trying hard to get back in the squad. Anyway, the good news is Angel Di Maria has trained today with the full squad. But the manager will confirm the starting XI after three more training sessions.
On the Netherlands side, they have no major injury concerns. All the players are fit to play against the Albiceleste. Louis Van Gaal is looking to take revenge. He said, “Messi is a player who can decide a match in an individual action. In the semi-final we played against Argentina in 2014, he didn’t touch a ball and we lost on penalties. Now we want our revenge.”
However, this match’s winner will potentially face Brazil in the semifinal.
