La Albiceleste are preparing for a showdown with Van Gaal's side in a repeat of their semifinal battle at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal stage is upon us! The last eight kicks off on Friday with two exciting games, the standout fixture being Argentina's showdown with the Netherlands at the Lusail Stadium at 3 p.m. ET.

This will undoubtedly be Argentina's first true test of the tournament. However, there have been a number of bumps along the way for La Albiceleste on their route to the quarterfinals.

The Copa America champions entered Qatar 2022 as one of the favorites, with several fans and pundits tipping Scaloni's men to go all the way in what is Lionel Messi's final FIFA World Cup.

However, after their shocking 2-1 opening-day defeat to Saudi Arabia, people began questioning whether Argentina were the real deal. Their second game against Mexico was crucial as the two-time champions had to win in order to keep their hopes alive, and that's just what they did thanks to a moment of magic from – you guessed it – Messi.

The Barcelona legend scored a brilliant goal in the 64th minute in what had been a cagey affair to give his nation a much-needed lead over El Tri. Enzo Fernandez would get a second just before stoppage time to hand Argentina a crucial 2-0 win.

After that came a 2-0 triumph against a Poland side that were reluctant to come out of their own half, which secured La Albiceleste the top spot in their group and a round of 16 clash with Australia. Once again, Messi and Co. struggled to break down their opponents despite the first-half goal from the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. Nonetheless, the CONMEBOL heavyweights emerged victorious.

Julian Alvarez got his second goal of the tournament but the Australians mounted a late siege and could have pulled off a comeback had it not been for Lisandro Martinez and Emilliano Martinez, with the match ending 2-1.

One thing is clear: Lionel Messi is in mesmerizing form and Scaloni has a number of talented players at his disposal, namely Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez, and Alexis Mac Allister. However, the champions of South America will desperately need to improve on the pitch if they are to overcome the Dutch.

The Netherlands have had a few hiccups of their own, but unlike Argentina, Louis van Gaal's men got off to a spectacular start. The European heavyweights took on Senegal in their opening game and while the Lions of Teranga proved to be trickier than expected, the Oranje came with a 2-0 victory nonetheless.

Cody Gakpo, who has been one of the standout performers of the tournament, broke the deadlock before Davy Klaassen made it 2-0 deep into stoppage time. While Van Gaal's side also tore Qatar apart in the final game, the Dutch struggled against Ecuador and could have lost that game — instead, Gakpo and Co. drew 1-1.

In the round of 16, the Netherlands took on the USA and proved what they can do against a capable team. The three-time finalists beat the energetic Stars and Stripes 3-1, showing their transitional threat and well-coached defensive block.

Against Argentina, Van Gaal will get a golden opportunity for revenge. In 2014, these two nations met in the semifinals, with Messi leading the South Americans to a penalty shootout victory. The Oranje will not want to fall victim to La Pulga for the second time running.

Team news

Netherlands: Van Gaal should have a fully-fit squad for this tie. Jeremie Frimpong had an issue in the build-up to the USA clash but the Leverkusen ace featured in that victory and is available for selection.Stefan de Vrij is back in training but the Dutch manager is expected to stick with the back three of Van Dijk, Ake, and Timber. Depay got his first goal of the tournament in the round of 16 victory and will partner Cody Gakpo in attack once more.

Argentina: Papu Gomez, who started the round of 16 clash with Australia, picked up an ankle injury but Angel di Maria is recovering well and could return to the lineup. Doubts had been raised regarding De Paul's availability but the Atletico Madrid ace was spotted in training and should thus start alongside Enzo and Mac Allister. Lisandro Martinez will be pushing for a start but it is difficult to see Scaloni dropping Romero or Otamendi unless he switches to a back three.

Key stats

  • The Netherlands have won three of their last five encounters with Argentina across all competitions (L2).

  • The last two FIFA World Cup clashes between these two nations ended in draws after normal time — La Albiceleste won the latter encounter on penalties.

  • However, the South American giants lost two out of the three FIFA World Cup clashes with the Dutch prior to the aforementioned run.

  • The Oranje are yet to lose a game since appointing Van Gaal over a year ago (W11, D4).

  • Argentina are on a 13-game scoring streak but have failed to find the back of the net in their last three encounters with the Netherlands.

Broadcast listings

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Netherlands 2 - 2P Argentina

December 9, 2022 2:00pmLusail Iconic Stadium (Lusail)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

Live TV coverage and streaming in United States

FOX Network
fuboTV
Sling
Telemundo
Peacock
Telemundo Deportes En Vivo
Sport 24
Foxsports.com
FOX Sports App
UFORIA App
Futbol de Primera Radio
SiriusXM FC