Round of 16:
Netherlands – USA, 16.00 (Tv: M4 Sport)
Expected starting teams:
Holland: Andries Neubert – Jorian Timber, Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake – Denzel Dumfries, Martin de Roon, Frenkie de Jong, Daley Blind – Davy Claassen – Cody Gakbo, Memphis Depay
United State: Matt Turner – Sergino Dest, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Ream, Anthony Robinson – Weston McKinney, Tyler Adams, Yomus Moses – Timothy Weh, Josh Sargent, Christian Pulisic
The USA team wants to outdo the Netherlands. The last time the United States made it past the top 16 was in 2002, although they have been in the round of 16 several times. Based on what we’ve seen so far, Greg Berhalter’s band has what it takes. They produced strong performances against Wales and England in the group stage, and when they needed a win – against Iran – they took all three points. The biggest star in the team, Christian Pulisic, Chelsea player, was injured in the last match, but the player announced on his social media page before the round of 16 that he would be able to play against the Dutch.
– This is a good opportunity for us, we do not consider it an honor to appear in the 8th final, because we worked for it, we deserve to be here, – Berhalter said before the meeting. The American coach can be confident that the elite England team has already been stopped (0-0). The USA team is strong even with the exception of Pulisic: Dest, McKinney, Reyna, Aronson and the others are able to become the deciding factor in the match.
For the Dutch, on the other hand, the minimum objective was to advance from the group. They did, but the way they played left a lot of skepticism among Orange fans. Orange suffered a lot against Senegal and Ecuador (2-0, 1-1), while the last match against Qatar (2-0) was no longer at stake. It was only Cody Jacobo’s performance that stood out, but coach Louis van Gaal doesn’t expect Jacobo to shine in every match either. Memphis Depay’s injury – if everything is true – is a thing of the past and he could start against the Americans.
Just looking at the form on paper, the Netherlands are the most likely, but Van Gaal himself reminded us of the risks of such matches.
– In my experience, the matches where you play against opponents like the USA or Australia are always very difficult. He said their players are fanatical and fight for every ball. One thing is for sure, if his words come true, it will be well worth following the afternoon match closely.
