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Horse Racing Argentina vs Netherlands Bet Builder Tips: Massive 51.00 Builder for Quarter Final Clash
Argentina vs Netherlands Bet Builder Tips: Friday, December 9th
The Lusail Stadium plays host to a mouthwatering clash between South America and Europe on Friday evening and we have Argentina v Netherlands bet builder tips for it.
Only two South American sides remain – albeit the two ante-post favourites. La Albiceleste will be desperate to usurp a spot in the semi-finals from the Dutch here.
If successful, fate could pit them against bitter foe Brazil. That would set us up for a match between two of the fiercest rivals on the international stage.
In this article:
- Argentina vs Netherlands Preview
- Argentina vs Netherlands Stats & Facts
- Argentina vs Netherlands Bet Builder
Argentina vs Netherlands Preview
World Cup Quater-Final, Friday, December 9th, 19:00 (UK)
Argentina came to Qatar as the in-form team.
Spearheaded by seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and under the tutelage of his namesake Lionel Scaloni, fans and punters had high hopes for La Albiceleste.
The money came for them before a ball was kicked at the tournament – the South Americans shortened to second-favourites at 6.50 – and with good reason. They had not tasted defeat in 35 games before the kick-off at Qatar. They collected the Copa America and La Finalissima trophies over that period.
The small matter of their curtain-raiser against Saudi Arabia seemed trivial. It was a clash in which the Saudis had less than a 3% chance of victory, according to their odds.
And despite an overwhelming first-half display – scoring once and having three disallowed – Argentina found themselves on the receiving end of one of the biggest World Cup upsets ever.
Scaloni’s side have bounced back since then. They have won each of their three games since against Mexico, Poland and Australia. With them yet to truly hit top gear, it’s difficult to work out exactly how they will fare against Oranje.
Louis van Gaal’s side enjoyed a controlled, cautious and let’s face it boring route to the knockout stage. Wins over Senegal and Qatar came on either side of a draw with Ecuador.
The former Manchester United boss appeared to loosen the handbrake against the United States. Given the magnitude of this clash and the strength of the opposition, I don’t think we will see an exciting approach here.
Argentina vs Netherlands Stats & Facts
- The last two World Cup meetings between these two have finished 0-0.
- Argentina have conceded an average of just 0.33 xGA in Qatar, making them one of the best defensive units in the tournament.
- Scaloni’s side have only conceded one ‘big chance’ and that came in the last few seconds of their most recent game against Australia.
- In the group stages, Netherlands only generated an xG of 3.13, scoring 5 times.
Argentina vs Netherlands Bet Builder
The Netherlands scored five times in the group stage, outperforming their xG by almost a full goal.
Coady Gakpo was to blame for that ruthless efficiency in front of goal. But with his strike partner, Memphis Depay now up to speed, we saw a more potent Oranje against the USA.
The Dutch hit six shots on target and generated an xG of 1.70, their highest totals of the World Cup so far.
However, I do think it will be a different story here. Expect the Dutch will struggle to create against the side which, for me, boasts the tightest defence in Qatar.
Despite conceding three goals so far, Argentina have only shipped an xGA of 1.33. That is an average of 0.33 per game.
The highest xGA conceded came in the most recent match against Australia and this tally of 0.66 was hugely influenced by the dynamic of the clash.
The Socceroos got fortunate when Craig Goodwin’s speculative effort took a wicked deflection off of Enzo Fernandez and flew into the net with 13 minutes remaining.
Now only one goal behind, this set the game up for a thrilling crescendo with Graham Arnold’s side needing just one goal to stay in the competition. A siege of attacks duly followed before a chance fell the way of Garang Kuol in the 97th minute.
This was the first ‘big chance’ the South Americans had conceded all tournament, generating an xGA of 0.66.
The next highest xG grossing effort against La Albiceleste was 0.12. That shows that not only do Argentina limit their opposition to few opportunities but the shots they do concede have very little chance of making the net bulge.
With the star power of Lionel Messi, I think Scaloni’s side have enough to edge this game within the regulation. Combining an Argentina win with an Emiliano Martínez card is the play for me.
The shot-stopper is well-versed in the game’s dark arts – as we saw at last year’s Copa America. Martinez will be doing everything in his power to wind down the clock if his nation gets their noses in front.
He has picked up seven cards over the past two seasons, the majority of which for time-wasting. Staggeringly, one came in the 33’ minute.
With the cards resetting after this round, he does not run the risk of suspension.
- Argentina to Win in 90 Minutes
- Emiliano Martínez Card
- Over 0 Match Cards
Bet Builder odds: 51.00
Odds via bet365 as at 13:00 on December 8th 2022. Odds may now differ.
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