The Lusail Ikonik Stadium, where the World Cup finals will be played in mid-December, will host the second leg of the quarter-final match. The national teams that are not only worthy of being among the top 8 national teams, but also of playing in the main match of the tournament, will meet there. However, only one team will advance. Bookmakers are favouring Argentina ahead of the meeting, suggesting they are favourites to win in regulation time with a slight edge in the odds. Also, Messi and company are regarded by analysts as the third-best contenders for the title at odds of 7. A similar success for the Netherlands would increase the betting amount by 21 times.

The Netherlands started the World Cup with a hard-fought win over Senegal, with two key players from their rival side flying out due to injuries. The Netherlands suffered a 1-1 draw against Ecuador, but went on to clinch the group title in the third leg with a 2-0 win against hosts Qatar. In the 1/8 finals, bookmakers were cautiously optimistic that Louis van Gaal's side would be the favourites against the United States, but in reality they came up short, falling 3-1. Despite their not-so-strong opponents on the way to the quarter-finals, the Netherlands seem to be improving from match to match. However, the Netherlands have yet to encounter any really serious opponents.

Argentina got their tournament off to a flying start, with the most talked-about result after the first round. The loss to Saudi Arabia brought the then second favourites back to earth. Subsequently, Argentina's 2-0 win over the rather tough Mexicans and Poles gave them back their confidence. "The 'dark horse' of the World Cup in the form of Australia faced the Argentines very decently in the quarter-finals but with the score 1-2 in favour of Scaloni's charges failed to 'squeeze out' the desired extra halves.

Both teams have problems with their organisation, but Argentina's side seem heavily overrated. The experience and wisdom of Louis van Gaal, who is unrivalled in head-to-head encounters, could prove decisive in this game. We'll bet that the Orange will offer maximum resistance to the Argentines and, at the very least, not lose in regulation time.