Costa Rica has been the surprise package of the tournament as they cruised past the likes of Italy, Uruguay and England in the group to qualify as the toppers of their group. They then saw through a dominant Greece side and are now faced with a daunting task as they meet last edition’s runner-ups Netherlands in the Quarter Finals with several pundits predicting that they will pull one over the Dutch team. Meanwhile, the Louis van Gaal side will be fairly optimistic of their chances to progress into the Semi-Finals having beaten the teams of Spain, Australia and Chile in their group and Last 16 stage respectively. The Dutch will be the runaway favorites to win the match.
Players to look out for:
Captain Robin van Persie had a dry game against Mexico but will expect to bounce back as a lot will be expected from him in front of the goal. Arjen Robben, the veteran has been in spectacular form so far and will hope to carry the good run into this game. Youngsters like Memphis Depay and Stefan De Vrij have also impressed with their performances and will look to build more to that. Joel Campbell the young 21-year old has been a key player in Costa Rica’s positive results hence he will shoulder a lot of expectations. Another player to look for form the Costa Ricans is the Fulham player Bryan Ruiz.
Teams head-to-head:
The two teams have no prior history between them.
Probable line-ups:
Netherlands (4-3-1-2): Cillesen; Verhaegh, Vlaar, De Vrij, Blind; Kuyt, Clasie, Wijnaldum; Sneijder; Robben, Van Persie.
Costa Rica (5-4-1): Navas; Gamboa, Acosta, González, Umaña, Díaz; Ruis, Borges, Tejeda, Bolaños; Campbell.
Prediction:
Netherlands are the favorites to win the game but Costa Rica will not make it any easy for Robin van Persie and co.
Final Score Prediction: Costa Rica 0 – 3 Netherlands.
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