Lionel Messi and Argentina look primed for a run to the World Cup final, but they’ll have to earn it, as they get ready to face the Netherlands in the quarterfinal round.
Victory for the South American nation would potentially set up a mouth-watering semifinal clash with continental rivals Brazil, pending the result of their clash with Croatia.
Still, the Netherlands will not want their 19-match unbeaten run to end here, and the attacking duo of Cody Gakpo and Memphis Depay will hope to put Argentina to the sword as they did with the United States in the Round of 16.
Below are the projected lineups for both teams based on the latest news leading up to the match.
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Netherlands vs Argentina lineups, team news
The fitness of Argentina winger Angel Di Maria has been the biggest talking point for head coach Lionel Scaloni ahead of this match, as the 37-year-old missed the Round of 16 victory over Australia.
Scaloni was guarded about Di Maria’s fitness in his pre-match press conference, but sounded optimistic about his aging attacker’s availability.
“In principle, they’re feeling well and we will see in today’s training and come up with a lineup,” he told media in his press conference. “Yesterday, we trained behind closed doors so I don’t know where this information is coming from but the team comes first, so if you’re out on the field, you must be fit so that you can help the team.”
Below are the projected starting lineups for both teams ahead of their match at Lusail Iconic Stadium on Friday, December 9.
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Netherlands projected starting 11
(3-5-2, right to left): 23. Noppert (GK) — 2. Timber, 4. van Dijk, 5. Ake — 22. Dumfries, 15. de Roon, 14. Klaassen, 21. De Jong, 17. Blind — 10. Depay, 8. Gakpo.
- Injured: None
- Suspended: None
Aside from the loss of Giorginio Wijnaldum for the tournament due to a broken leg, there are no known injury concerns to currently rostered players for the Netherlands as they head into the quarterfinals, a major boost for the side.
Nathan Ake, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, and Teun Koopmeiners are all sitting on yellow cards and would be suspended for the next match should they receive another and the Netherlands advance.
Argentina projected starting 11
(4-3-3, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 26. Molina, 13. Romero, 19. Otamendi, 8. Acuna — 20. Mac Allister, 5. Paredes, 24. E. Fernandez — 9. Alvarez, 10. Messi, 11. Di Maria.
- Injured: Angel Di Maria, Papu Gomez
- Suspended: None.
There’s a big question around whether Angel Di Maria will be fit for action in this game due to a thigh issue which kept him out of the Round of 16 match against Australia. He reportedly returned to training on Tuesday and should be at least available off the bench, but there are questions whether he will start, or whether Angel Correa will take his place on the wing. Paulo Dybala could also see minutes, having yet to appear despite his great form for AS Roma earlier this year.
Papu Gomez sprained his ankle against Australia but is also thought to have recovered, while Rodrigo de Paul is reportedly fit despite worries of a muscle injury. Otherwise, there are no injury concerns for Argentina of the players on the roster, with Gio Lo Celso, Nico Gonzalez, and Joaquin Correa all replaced on the roster before the tournament began.
Argentina only have yellow card concerns around Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel, who would be suspended for the semifinal if they receive another booking. However, yellow cards are wiped after the quarterfinals, so players cannot be suspended for the World Cup final due to yellow card accumulation.
Netherlands vs Argentina World Cup squads
Here are the 26 names on the current Netherlands and Argentina World Cup squads in Qatar:
Netherlands World Cup squad
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Remko Pasveer | Ajax (NED) | 38 | 2 |
| Goalkeeper | Andries Noppert | Heerenveen (NED) | 28 | 0 |
| Goalkeeper | Justin Bijlow | Feyenoord (NED) | 24 | 6 |
| Defender | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool (ENG) | 31 | 49 |
| Defender | Nathan Ake | Manchester City (ENG) | 27 | 29 |
| Defender | Jeremie Frimpong | Bayer Leverkusen (NED) | 21 | 0 |
| Defender | Stefan de Vrij | Inter (ITA) | 30 | 59 |
| Defender | Daley Blind | Ajax (NED) | 32 | 94 |
| Defender | Matthijs de Ligt | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 38 |
| Defender | Tyrell Malacia | Manchester United (ENG) | 23 | 6 |
| Defender | Jurrien Timber | Ajax (NED) | 21 | 10 |
| Defender | Denzel Dumfries | Inter (ITA) | 26 | 37 |
| Midfielder | Frenkie de Jong | Barcelona (SPA) | 25 | 45 |
| Midfielder | Davy Klassen | Ajax (NED) | 29 | 35 |
| Midfielder | Xavi Simons | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | 19 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Steven Berghuis | Ajax (NED) | 30 | 39 |
| Midfielder | Marten de Roon | Atalanta (ITA) | 31 | 30 |
| Midfielder | Kenneth Taylor | Ajax (NED) | 20 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Teun Koopmeiners | Atalanta (ITA) | 24 | 9 |
| Forward | Memphis Depay | Barcelona (SPA) | 28 | 81 |
| Forward | Steven Bergwijn | Ajax (NED) | 25 | 24 |
| Forward | Cody Gakpo | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | 23 | 9 |
| Forward | Wout Weghorst | Besiktas (TUR) | 30 | 15 |
| Forward | Vincent Janssen | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 28 | 20 |
| Forward | Luuk de Jong | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | 32 | 38 |
| Forward | Noa Lang | Club Brugge (BEL) | 23 | 5 |
Argentina World Cup squad
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Franco Armani | River Plate (ARG) | 36 | 18 |
| Goalkeeper | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa (ENG) | 30 | 19 |
| Goalkeeper | Geronimo Rulli | Villarreal (SPA) | 30 | 4 |
| Defender | Marcos Acuna | Sevilla (SPA) | 30 | 43 |
| Defender | Juan Foyth | Villarreal (SPA) | 24 | 16 |
| Defender | Lisandro Martinez | Man United (ENG) | 24 | 10 |
| Defender | Nahuel Molina | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 24 | 19 |
| Defender | Gonzalo Montiel | Sevilla (SPA) | 25 | 19 |
| Defender | Nicolas Otamendi | Benfica (POR) | 34 | 93 |
| Defender | German Pezzella | Real Betis (SPA) | 31 | 32 |
| Defender | Cristian Romero | Tottenham (ENG) | 24 | 12 |
| Defender | Nicolas Tagliafico | Lyon (FRA) | 30 | 42 |
| Midfielder | Rodrigo De Paul | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 28 | 44 |
| Midfielder | Enzo Fernandez | Benfica (POR) | 21 | 3 |
| Midfielder | Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez | Sevilla (SPA) | 34 | 15 |
| Midfielder | Alexis Mac Allister | Brighton (ENG) | 23 | 8 |
| Midfielder | Exequiel Palacios | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 24 | 20 |
| Midfielder | Leandro Paredes | Juventus (ITA) | 28 | 46 |
| Midfielder | Guido Rodriguez | Real Betis (SPA) | 28 | 26 |
| Forward | Julian Alvarez | Man City (ENG) | 22 | 12 |
| Forward | Thiago Almada** | Atlanta United (USA) | 21 | 1 |
| Forward | Angel Di Maria | Juventus (ITA) | 34 | 124 |
| Forward | Paulo Dybala | AS Roma (ITA) | 28 | 34 |
| Forward | Angel Correa* | Atletico Madrid | 25 | 22 |
| Forward | Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan (ITA) | 25 | 40 |
| Forward | Lionel Messi | PSG (FRA) | 35 | 165 |
Credit: sportingnews.com