Netherlands and Costa Rica meet in the quarterfinals on Saturday in a match between the surprise of the tournament in Costa Rica and last World Cup’s runner-up in the Netherlands.
This will be the first ever meeting between the Netherlands and Costa Rica as both teams will look to stay perfect in the World Cup.
Robin van Persie will look to shake off his last game against Mexico in which he struggled and was substituted out in the second half. The flying Dutchman, Arjen Robben has been the best player for the Dutch throughout the tournament and he will look to continue his stellar play against Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is led by Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz as they are the Ticos top two scoring threats. The Dutch defense has looked weak and suspect, and will need to be tested by both Costa Rican strikers if Costa Rica wants to win the match.
Key for Costa Rica will be Michael Umana who has been the best defender for Los Ticos and will be tasked the job of shutting down Robin van Persie. After successful campaigns against Edinson Cavani, Mario Balotelli and Wayne Rooney, Van Persie should prove another difficult task for Umana.
The match will be decided in the midfield where the Dutch have far superior skill and talent than Costa Rica. Injuries to Nigel de Jong and Oscar Duarte (suspended) should prove to be challenges for both Coaches.
In a battle between defense and offense, I think Costa Rica will have difficulty defending the Dutch without their defensive star Duarte. The Netherlands should be able to sustain their high energy offensive attack even without Nigel de Jong and I expect Van Persie to rebound after his subpar performance last match.
My Prediction: The dream ends for Costa Rica. Netherlands wins 2-0.
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada.lv:
Netherlands: -1 (-115) // -210 Moneyline
Costa Rica: +1 (-105) // +600 Moneyline
Draw +325
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