A berth in the final four at the World Cup will be on the line when the Netherlands and Argentina square off in the quarterfinals at Lusail Iconic Stadium on Friday. The two nations are meeting at the World Cup for the first time since 2014, when Argentina won in penalties en route to a runner-up finish.
Netherlands Vs Argentina Opening Odds
Argentina opened as the favorite at +115 on the moneyline with the Netherlands getting +250 as the underdog. The total was set at 2.5 goals with the UNDER going 7-3-1 in Argentina’s last 11 matches. Both sides go into this match confident and in good form, so it’ll be hard to pick a clear favorite in any Netherlands vs Argentina prediction.
Netherlands Cruises Past USA In Round Of 16
The Netherlands rolled to a smooth 3-1 win over the USA on Saturday to earn their place in the quarterfinals. Memphis Depay opened the scoring just 10 minutes in before Daley Blind added another at the stroke of halftime. Haji Wright brought the Americans within one in the 76th minute but Denzel Dumfries replied for the Dutch in the 81st to seal the win.
The Netherlands remains undefeated in Qatar, going 2-1-0 in the group stage prior to its Round of 16 victory. Cody Gakpo failed to score for the first time in the tournament against the USA, but remains one of the top performers at this World Cup with three goals – tied for second with several others behind France’s Kylian Mbappe (5).
While Gakpo is the only Dutch player with multiple goals in the tournament, Dumfries and Davy Klaassen have been key performers as well, notching a goal and two assists each.
Messi Leads Argentina Into Quarterfinals
The score line may not have been as flattering as Argentina may have wanted, but they came out with a 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday to stay alive in the tournament. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a classic left-foot finish before Julian Alvarez doubled their lead in the second half.
Australia’s goal came in the 77th minute after a shot deflected off Enzo Fernandez and into Argentina’s net, but it was the lone blemish on an otherwise strong performance.
There will be plenty of pressure on Argentina to deliver in this match as Messi has confirmed that this will be his final World Cup. The Argentines came close in 2014, losing 1-0 to Germany in the final, before a Round of 16 loss in 2018. Messi and company will look to avenge that disappointment, and that starts with a difficult matchup against the Netherlands.
Netherlands Vs Argentina Game Prop: Total Goals OVER 2.5 (+140)
Both teams had plenty of goals and hit the OVER in their Round of 16 wins, so it’s very possible that trend continues Friday. The Netherlands ranks fourth in the tournament with eight goals while Argentina ranks fifth with seven, so it’s hard to imagine the two teams not combining for at least three in this match.
Netherlands: Keys To Win
The Netherlands is a strong team at No. 8 in the world, but they probably don’t have the same quality as their No. 3-ranked opponents. That difference in quality has been borne out in the stats as the Dutch are averaging just 52 percent possession while relying heavily on their goalkeeper, Andries Noppert, who ranks second in the tournament with 17 saves. Noppert has two clean sheets in four matches so far and he’ll likely need to be great again to defeat Argentina.
Argentina: Keys To Win
Argentina has been one of the most impressive attacking teams in the tournament, ranking first in shots on goal (27) and second in possession (65%). If they can control the ball the same way against a strong Dutch side, they certainly have enough finishing ability up front to get the job done.
Argentina is 7-3-1 in its last 11 matches.
Netherlands is 10-3-1 in its last 14 matches.
The UNDER is 8-6 in Netherlands’ last 14 matches.
