The Netherlands against Argentina is a classic Fifa World Cup fixture. The teams have already met five times on the greatest stage of them all, and will do so again on Friday. We round up some of the most interesting facts ahead of the big game.
Previous meetings
These nations first locked horns at the 1974 finals, with a Johan Cruyff double helping the Netherlands to a 4-0 group-stage victory. Four years later they were reunited in the World Cup final, only this time Argentina won 3-1 after extra time to lift the trophy on home soil.
In 1998, the Oranje went through to the semifinals thanks to Dennis Bergkamp’s legendary goal in the 89th minute. The sides shared a goalless draw in the group stage at Germany 2006, but eight years later La Albiceleste had the upper hand in the most recent encounter as Messi and co edged the semifinal tie on penalties.
Depay and Messi in focus
The Netherlands’ star forward started the games against Qatar and USA, scoring the all-important opener in their last-16 tie. Depay has been directly involved in 34 goals in his last 30 international appearances, giving Oranje fans cause for optimism in his finishing ability ahead of the quarterfinals.
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Argentina have a talisman of their own as they plot a course to World Cup glory, with Messi participating in what is likely to be his last finals. He has played against the Netherlands at two previous editions, in the goalless draws in the 2006 group stage and in the 2014 semifinals.
The 35-year-old is in good form and has three goals in Qatar so far, having found the net against Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Australia. Messi has not yet scored against the Netherlands, but has 38 goal contributions in his last 39 international outings. Both players are likely to get chances, so it may come down to who is more clinical out on the pitch.
Serial winners
Van Gaal is still unbeaten since returning as coach in September 2021, earning 14 wins from 19 games. His counterpart Lionel Scaloni arrived in Qatar after masterminding an unbelievable 36-game sequence without defeat before surprisingly losing their opening match 2-1 against Saudi Arabia. Since then, however, they have won three in a row.
Another 0-0 draw?
The last two meetings between these teams ended goalless, although given the attacking quality on either side of the pitch it could well be a different story this time. Both nations have been prioritising defensive stability so far at this World Cup.
Whereas the Netherlands play on the counter, Argentina like to have possession. As such, an early goal could change the course of the game and both teams have plenty of players who can make the difference. The Oranje and La Albiceleste face their toughest tests so far in Qatar and will need to show that they can live up to their high expectations.