Argentina v Serbia & Montenegro
Argentina were possibly guilty of complacency going into their last match against many people’s outside team, the Ivory Coast but they still took a well earned 3 points beating the first-timers 2-1. Riquelme was the star man for the Argentinean side who are many people’s tip to win the tournament and they are expected to improve for this match against Serbia & Montenegro. Wins for Argentina and Holland today, as expected, would result in both teams going through to the next round.
In contrast, Serbia & Montenegro may have only been beaten 1-0 by Holland in their last match but they were far from an attacking force with no clear chances on goal. Bearing in mind that the Argentineans will be looking to improve on their previous performance, Serbia & Montenegro may need a defensive miracle to prevent a demolishing.
Prediction – 3-0 to Argentina
Holland v Ivory Coast
On paper Holland appeared to struggle against Serbia & Montenegro in the last match, only managing a 1-0 win but in reality the Dutch side looked very good value for their win. The difference in that game was a goal from the outstanding Arjen Robben who could well feature on the score sheet again if he plays as impressively. It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if Holland find the Ivory Coast difficult to contain for long periods of the game but they should prove too much in the end.
The Ivory Coast put up an excellent performance in their first ever World Cup game against Argentina, finally being defeated 2-1. The problem they suffered more than anything was making the most of the opportunities they created. They look likely to suffer a similar fate again today.
Prediction – 3-1 to Holland
Mexico v Angola
Mexico coasted to a convincing victory in their last match against Iran and in today’s opponent they face a team of similar talents. Bravo looked good for his two goals and may find himself netting at least one more today in this match.
Angola failed to improve on their one previous World Cup victory when they faced group favorites Portugal in the last round. Portugal enjoyed large chunks of possession and were unlucky not to have scored more than the one goal. That was a match with some very volatile history and Angola would have certainly played out of their skin to try and get the point. They may struggle in today’s match against Mexico to reduce the goal deficit to a similarly low amount.
Prediction – 2-0 to Mexico
