Find out who between Argentina and Netherlands will fight against Germany to win the FIFA World Cup 2014.
The second semi-final between Argentina and Netherlands is on Wednesday. Both teams are strong with good players. If the Dutch have Arjen Robben, the Argentinean team has world-class player Lionel Messi. Both these players have been the stars of the tournament and are arguably the best dribblers in the world.
Robben was elementary in Netherlands' win over defending champion Spain during the group stage. The Spaniards were seen struggling to keep up with his pace, leading to two remarkable goals. On the other hand, Messi is a player that few want to tackle. He's got pace, style and perfect finishing skills. This combination could be quite lethal!
Going into the match, there are a lot of expectations from both teams. Early predictions have it that this game may not be filled with goals and a single goal can determine the fate of both teams.
"We know that we will play against one of the best teams when it comes to counterattacks because of the speed of their men up front," Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano said, according to The Associated Press. "So we have to take precautions to not give them the possibility to counterattack, to always be well positioned, to not lose balls unnecessarily in areas where there's a lot of risk."
Argentina will be without Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, who limped off in the first half of his country's quarterfinal win over Belgium with a right thigh injury, but striker Sergio Aguero has been declared fit after recovering from a similar problem. Di Maria scored the extra-time winner against Switzerland in the second round and set up Gonzalo Higuain's winning goal in the first half against Belgium on Saturday.
The Netherlands will again be without their powerful midfield controller Nigel de Jong, who has a torn groin muscle. A possible replacement, Leroy Fer, is recovering from a hamstring injury and it is not clear if he will be fit for Wednesday's semi-final at the Itaquerao Stadium.
The two sides have a long World Cup history, including Netherlands' most heart-breaking loss in the 1978 final when Rob Rensenbrink's shot hit the post shortly before full time with the scores level at 1-1. Argentina went on to win 3-1 in extra time.
Netherlands leads the head-to-head record with four wins, three draws, and one loss. A memorable chapter in that history came in the 1998 World Cup quarter-finals, with Dennis Bergkamp scoring one of the most famous World Cup goals in a 2-1 victory over Argentina.
According to Epoch Times predictions, the game will end in a 0-0 draw, Netherlands will win on penalties 5-3. However, Bloomberg Sports predictions are Argentina 1-0 Netherlands.
