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Netherlands vs Argentina – 2022 World Cup quarter-final: Team news, possible lineups & prediction.
Netherlands and Argentina square off in a tantalising World Cup 2022 quarterfinal that is sure to feature goals on Friday night at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
The South American champions defeated Australia 2-1 to maintain their chances of winning the tournament while Louis van Gaal’s team defeated the USA 3-1 to secure their place in the round of eight.
Before facing the Netherlands in their World Cup quarterfinal, Argentina is concerned about Rodrigo De Paul’s fitness. Argentina started the competition by losing to the World Cup’s second-lowest-ranked country (Saudi Arabia), but they have gotten better with each match since, displaying flashes of the confidence that let them go 36 games without a loss before facing Australia in the round of 16.
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Team News:
The Netherlands had a scare with Jeremie Frimpong (ankle) before the win against the USA, but he was part of a fully-fit squad for that game, and Van Gaal should have everyone available for the quarter-final as well.
Centre back for Inter Milan Due to pain, Stefan de Vrij was unable to train on Sunday, but he has since rejoined the squad to contest the existing hierarchy of Nathan Ake, Virgil van Dijk, and Jurrien Timber, even though he will probably be losing that fight.
In his last 30 appearances for the Netherlands, Depay has scored 24 goals and provided 10 assists. The Barcelona forward should once again team up with Gakpo in an untried Dutch starting lineup.
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Regarding Argentina, Sevilla attacker Papu Gomez is questionable for the match after leaving with a sprained ankle against Australia in the 50th minute. However, Angel Di Maria is making progress in his recovery from a quadriceps injury and should be able to take the place of his injured teammate.
In spite of relentless pressure from Lisandro Martinez, Scaloni has no other injury concerns and continues to have faith in the centre-back combination of Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi.
Leandro Paredes and Angel Correa, for example, were put to the test earlier this week in a training ground XI, but neither player will be expected to beat off Di Maria or the promising Enzo Fernandez for a starting position in the quarterfinal.
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Possible Lineup:
Netherlands possible starting lineup:
Noppert; Timber, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, De Jong, De Roon, Blind; Klaassen; Gakpo, Depay
Argentina’s possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez
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Score Prediction:
Prediction: Netherlands 1-1 Argentina.