The Netherlands’s Run of Form
The Netherlands played in Group A where they had to face Ecuador, Senegal, and Qatar. In their first game, they played against their biggest opponent on paper, Senegal. The Dutch team scored 2 late goals to secure a 2-0 win and top the group. In their second match, the Netherlands played against Ecuador, who had just beaten Qatar. The Netherlands started the game with an early goal, but could not extend their lead. Ecuador scored a goal early in the second half, and the game ended 1-1. In their final group stage game, the Netherlands played against Qatar, who had lost both their group matches. The Netherlands beat Qatar 2-0 and secured their place at the top of the group.
The Netherlands was the winner of Group A, so in the round of 16 they had to face the runners up of Group B, the US. Memphis Depay took the lead for the Dutch in the 10th minute. Before the first half was finished, the Netherlands scored another goal to extend their lead to 2. The US scored a goal in the second half, but when the Netherlands scored another goal in the 81st minute, they closed the scoring at 3-1.
Argentina’s Run of Form
Argentina was drawn into Group C, where they had to play against the national football teams of Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland. Argentina was the favourite to win the group, as they ranked 3rd in the world rankings, and in their first match they faced Saudi Arabia, who were the lowest ranking team in the group. It was a match full of controversy, as Argentina took an early lead and would have been 4 -0 up, but they had 3 goals ruled offside. In the second half, Saudi Arabia replied with 2 quick goals, and Argentina could not turn the result around. The game ended 2-1 for Saudi Arabia, and Argentina placed at the bottom of the group after the first round of the group stage. In the second round, Argentina played against Mexico. In this game, the team managed to play with more discipline, scoring 2 goals and not conceding any. The 2-0 victory put Argentina just behind Poland in the group, level on points with Saudi Arabia. In their final game, Argentina had to face Poland. Argentina won this game 1-0 as well, with goals from youngsters Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez.
Finishing first in Group C, Argentina had to play against Australia, the runners up of Group D. Argentina beat Australia 2-1, with Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez providing the Argentine goals.
Which Players to Look Out For
The Netherlands
The Netherlands has an impressive backline of Virgil van Dijk, Denzel Dumfries, Daley Blind, Nathan Ake, and other key players. Denzel Dumfries has been particularly impressive in this World Cup, especially with his goal against the US. Daley Blind gave the assist for that goal, and for those who remember the 2014 World Cup, he was also responsible for providing the assist to Robin van Persie’s “Flying Dutchman” header against Spain. Both defenders play high and can join the attack, and they will be quite exciting to watch. Frenkie de Jong, Steven Bergwijn, and Memphis Depay are all established players who will be on all football fans’ radars in the match, but we have to add Coady Gakpo to the list of exciting Dutch players to watch. The 23-year-old has been phenomenal, scoring 3 goals, and already there are transfer talks with Manchester United and several other major clubs in the talks after this World Cup finishes.
Argentina
Lionel Messi is definitely the key player to watch in Argentina, and despite being 35 years old, the Argentine football magician has been crucial to the team’s success. He has scored 3 goals in the World Cup so far, and has been an integral member of the team. In addition to Messi, there are many other household football names in the squad such as Angel di Maria, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Otamendi, and so on. In attack, Julian Alvarez is definitely worth watching. The young Manchester City forward has scored 2 goals in the World Cup so far, outshining the punters’ favourite, Lautaro Martinez. However, it would be foolish to write off Martinez, who is a proven goalscorer and despite not scoring, he is definitely an asset to Argentina’s striking force. The last player who makes the list is Alexis Mac Allister. This midfielder/winger plays in the Premier League for Brighton & Hove Albion and scored 1 goal during the World Cup. Young and ambitious, we have probably not seen all that he can deliver just yet, and he will be a threat to the Dutch midfield and defence.
The Netherlands vs Argentina Betting Opportunities
Both of these teams are potential title contenders, but at a push, Argentina may be slightly favoured over the Netherlands. It will undoubtedly be difficult to predict, but that will only lengthen the odds on both teams. Whether you back Argentina or the Netherlands to win, you will find that most of the bets on this game come at long odds. You can bet on which team will qualify, the result of the match, how many goals will be scored, either team to win with handicaps, and many more.
There are numerous bets that will put your football knowledge to the risk, such as first half result, which team will score the first goal, will either team reverse the result, will both teams score, will either team score in both halves, and so on. You can also find some player bets that come with excellent odds. Here, you can check the odds on Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez, Angel di Maria, Memphis Depay, Steen Bergwijn, Coady Gakpo, and any other players to score during this match. If you want to back a certain player to score during this match, you can definitely find their odds and make your bets.