FIFA World Cup: A 'doosra' preview of Argentina vs Netherlands semis

As two football powerhouses- Netherlands and Argentina - clash in their FIFA World Cup semi finals tonight, we present a light-hearted guide to the game

Just how good are they?

Netherlands: Their penalty shootout hero against Costa Rica, goalkeeper Tim Krul, will still be on the bench tonight as Jasper Cillessen starts.
Argentina: The crowd. Scores of Argentinians have crossed the border to descend in Brazil for the World Cup. Expect the noisy Argentine support to lift the team.

Weaknesses
Netherlands: A well organised defence (like Costa Rica) can make the Oranje, Louis van Gaal's tactical genius notwithstanding, look clueless.
Argentina: Over-reliance on Lionel Messi. He is only human (we think)!

Most likely to…
Netherlands: Win the game thanks to a Van Gaal tactical masterstroke.
Argentina: Win the match by a one-goal margin.

They can win if...

Netherlands: If they unleash Nigel De Jong on Messi like they did on Xabi Alonso in the 2010 World Cup final.
Argentina: They keep passing the ball to Messi; let Messi take free-kicks; let Messi take corners and even let Messi be the goalkeeper if need be.

X-factor:

Netherlands: Tim Krul. He may start on the bench today, but Van Gaal might allow him a free rein to try and bully Argentina's substitutes and even coach Alejandro Sabella.
Argentina: The crowd. Scores of Argentinians have crossed the border to descend in Brazil for the World Cup. Expect the noisy Argentine support to lift the team.

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