Netherlands meet Costa Rica today at the 2014 World Cup, at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador.
Form
The two sides have never met before.
Netherlands defeated Mexico 2-1 in their Round of 16 fixture.
Costa Rica defeated Greece after going to penalties in their Round of 16 fixture.
Injuries & Suspensions
Netherlands midfielder Nigel de Jong is likely to miss with a torn groin, while another midfielder, Leroy Fer, is also in doubt with a hamstring injury. Costa Rica has defender problems, with Óscar Duarte missing due to suspension and Roy Miller succumbing to a leg muscle strain.
Prediction & Tip
Netherlands have had an excellent tournament so far, picking up plenty of goals along the way. They did get out of jail against Mexico in their last match though, scoring an equaliser in the 88th minute and netting the winner in the 94th. Costa Rica have been one of the standout South American teams of the tournament, but just scraped through to appear today after defeating Greece 5-3 during a penalty shootout. Netherlands go in to this match as favourites and rightfully so. It’s hard not to see a team containing Robben, Sneijder and Van Persie not scoring at some point. Very hard to fine some value in this match, so we’ll take the 5/4 that Ladbrokes are offering for Robin Van Persie to score and the Netherlands to win.
Netherlands defeat Costa Rica 2-0