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Holland-Argentina in high voltage clash
The clash between Holland and Argentina was rated as the best game of the tournament.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: February 25, 2007 10:34 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Berlin:
Group C was famously called the group of death because of two big wigs featuring in it and the clash between Holland and Argentina was rated as the best game of the tournament. However with both having made it to the knock out stage, this match would virtually determine the positions in the group. The winner of the group will play the runner-up of Group D. Argentina's coach Jose Pekerman is the unlikeliest candidate to delay naming his line up but he is doing just that before the big clash. They may not have come to the World cup as favourites but performance against S&M has led bookies to cut the odds, performance revealing the depth of the side eight of their goals in the group stage coming from six players. Teen star Teenage star Messi made a scoring World Cup debut as a substitute in the game against Serbia and Montenegro and will be hoping for his first start against The Netherlands. One issue under consideration will be the yellow cards picked up by strikers Hernan Crespo and Javier Saviola along with defender Gabriel Heinze. They could all be rested so the bookings are cleared at the end of the group stage. "I am considering all of them. I am talking to all of them and the players know this. We have no real injuries and all the players want to play. They know that they are all important to the team but have different strengths. It is not always easy in a team for everybody to understand the logic but we are doing that and it makes us stronger," said Pekerman. High voltage clash Holland boss Marco van Basten is also considering resting players for Wednesday's high voltage clash. The Dutch have picked up six bookings in their opening two matches and run the risk of facing suspension if they are cautioned again. Of the starting defence, only Andre Ooijer has not been booked so far. In midfield, Mark van Bommel faces the same predicament, as does winger Arjen Robben, the standout player of the team. If Van Basten takes precaution, it might be a largely second-string team taking the field against Argentina. However, the coach insists that the line up will be credible. There have been memorable clashes between the two teams in the past while Argentina beat the Oranje icons in the 1978 final in Buenos Aires. A more recent World Cup meeting has been in Marseille in 1998 when a beautifully-taken Dennis Bergkamp goal gave the Dutch a 2-1 victory and sent the Argentines packing from the quarters. However, this time around both teams will perhaps look to give their fans a reason to cheer.Topics mentioned in this article
Football Argentina
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