Spain vs Netherlands - What can we expect

Spain vs Netherlands – The clash of the European Giants

Spain and Netherlands, the World Cup finalists of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, start proceedings in Group B and a nerve-wracking game of football is on the cards. The Spaniards head to the land of Samba, hoping to return home with what they have brought, while the Dutch seem to have hit a slump of late and would be hoping to turn the tables around in what is arguably the biggest game of the group stages in this year’s edition.

Venue

The Arena Fonte Nova located in Salvador proudly hosts the clash of the European giants. The stadium was inaugurated in the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 and hosted three games in the tournament. With a capacity of 52,000 and at a sea-level altitude, the Arena Fonte Nova will host four group matches and one game each in the ‘Round of 16’ and ‘Quarter finals’.

Kickoff Time

June 13 – 4:00 pm – Local Time

June 14 – 12:30 am – Indian Standard Time (IST)

Possible Starting Line ups

Vicente Del Bosque stated that Barcelona’s poor showing in the last season has no bearing on the national side and thus wouldn’t be changing their style of play. So, the star-studded line up may not spring enormous changes and shall look to repeat the 2010 triumph.

Spain (4-3-3): Casillas, Azpilicueta, Ramos, Pique, Alba, Alonso, Busquets, Xavi, Silva, Costa, Iniesta

The Dutch are going through a transformation period and might not be in the best shape. However, the Oranje had a tremendous run during the qualifiers and seem to be shaping up gradually into a solid line up possessing a mixture of experience and young talent.

Netherlands (4-3-1-2): Cillessen, Janmaat, De Vrij, Vlaar, Martins Indi, Blind, De Jong, Clasie, Sneijder, Robben, Van Persie

Key Facts

This is the first time the two World Cup finalists have met in the tournament directly after contesting the final since 1990, when West Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final (after meeting each other in 1986).
Spain lost their opening game of the 2010 World Cup to Switzerland, but went on to become the first team to ever win the tournament having lost their first game.
Del Bosque has only lost one of his 25 World Cup games as Spain head-coach, including qualifiers (W22 D2). That was against Switzerland (0-1) in 2010.
The Spaniards have won their last six World Cup games, their best ever run in the tournament. Their last four games have ended in 1-0 wins.
La Roja men have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four World Cup games, the longest current run. Indeed only Italy (five games in 1990) and Switzerland (five in 2006 and 2010) have ever had a longer run in the competition.
Netherlands have made it past the group stages in their last seven previous World Cups.
Spain and Netherlands have a perfectly even head-to-head record with four wins apiece and one draw, though Spain won the only previous World Cup clash 1-0 in the 2010 final.
The defending champions have only won their first game in three of the last 10 World Cups (D4 L3).

Key Battles

Sneijder vs Busquets

This battle will undoubtedly have a huge bearing on the game’s result as the Oranje attack depends predominantly on Wesley Sneijder. Busquets did tremendously well to constantly deny the Dutch playmaker in the 2010 final and would be hoping to exhibit a similar showing.

Sneijder takes on Busquets in the 2010 World Cup final

The Dutch may well adapt to counter-attacking football which yielded fruitful results against possession play in recent times and Sneijder would be the man to trigger long balls to the likes of Arjen Robben, Janmaat and Robin van Persie. Ironically, Busquets excels in shielding the number ten on the counter and it is a task easier said than done to find playmakers who enjoy playing against the Catalan. Thus, one shall expect a humdinger of a battle in the centre of the park.

Prediction

Louis Van Gaal’s troops would be looking to go all out; not only for revenge but any point picked up here would be a massive boost for the Oranje as it could prove to be decisive over the Chileans, who are also tough nuts to crack. However, the quality and experience instilled in La Roja’s lineup could prove to be too good for the 2010 runners up and the Spaniards may well show the world why they are the defending champions.

Predicted Scoreline: Spain 2-0 Netherlands

Match Officials

Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)

Assistant Referee 1: Renato Faverani (ITA)

Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Stefani (ITA)

Fourth Official: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR)

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