Netherlands vs. Argentina Betting Tips: Back Alvarez to Score in 6/1 Bet Builder

Live on BBC, Netherlands go up against Argentina in the quarterfinals of the World Cup at the Lusail Stadium this Friday night at 7pm and after a 7/1 winner on Portugal vs Switzerland our man Tipster Wizard returns with his best bets.

Van Gaal’s men overcame the USA 3-1 to qualify for the quarterfinals after having topped their group. They are now unbeaten in their last 19 games across all competitions and will be hoping to dent Messi’s hopes of finally lifting a World Cup. 

As for the Copa America champions Argentina, they got the better of Australia in the round of 16 fixture after also having topped their group. Scaloni’s men started off their World Cup campaign with a shock loss to Saudi Arabia but that certainly seems like a distant memory as their star man Lionel Messi finally scored in a World Cup knockout game last time out in his 1000th game. 

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Historically, this has always been a very tight affair with 3 out of their 4 head to head meetings having ended as a draw. Their last 2 consecutive meetings in World Cups have ended 0-0 , one of which was a semi-final won by Argentina on penalties in 2014. 

Both teams are scoring goals at the moment but also showing vulnerability defensively which is why this is an incredibly tough fixture to predict. Lionel Messi and his fans all around the world will be hoping he can keep his dream of winning the World Cup alive but the Dutch will be no pushovers and will be out there to spoil the party.

An exciting World Cup quarterfinal awaits us and as usual, I have you covered with 2 of my best betting angles included in the preview below:

Team News:

Netherlands have a fully fit squad going into this quarterfinal.

Papu Gomez is doubtful after a sprained ankle against Australia. No other injuries/suspensions.

Netherlands possible starting lineup:

Noppert; Timber, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, De Jong, De Roon, Blind; Klaassen; Gakpo, Depay

Argentina possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez

I am expecting a very tight affair with both teams approaching the first half cautiously and trying not to gift the opposition any clear cut chances. 3 of their last 4 head to head meetings have ended in draws and all 3 of those games had a draw as the halftime result too.

This has been a very tightly contested fixture historically and I expect that trend to continue here. With the goal line set at 2.0, the bookies are also expecting this game to not have much goalmouth action. With a 0-0 halftime scoreline priced up as low as 5/4, I think we’re getting better value backing the draw as the halftime result @ 39/40 which will also cover us in case of a 1-1 scoreline. Happy to take this with a 1pt stake as our main bet for this quarter-final clash.

- Julian Alvarez anytime goalscorer

- Frenkie De Jong Over 0.5 tackles

- Rodrigo De Paul Over 0.5 tackles

Julian Alvarez is having a sensational World Cup so far having scored 2 goals in 2 starts. He scored in the decisive group stage clash against Poland and also found the net against Australia in the round of 16 stage. With Messi and Di Maria pulling the strings, I am backing Alvarez to score another goal at the big stage. 

De Jong is averaging 3 tackles per game for Netherlands and has had at least 1 tackle in every game so far at the World Cup. 

Rodrigo De Paul is averaging 1.5 tackles per game in this World Cup failing to get a tackle just once this World Cup. Up against the likes of De Jong, Gakpo and Depay, he will have plenty of opportunities to put in a tackle. Combining these 3 selections gives us a cracking longshot @ 6/1 and I am happy to stake a small 0.25pt stake on that for our 2nd bet for this game.

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