Netherlands v Slovakia
Football: FIFA World Cup: Round 2
Venue: Moses Mabhida, Durban
Monday 28th June 2010 – Kickoff time: 15:00 GMT

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The Round of 16 match on Monday 28 June 2010 sees two European teams – Netherlands and Slovakia – meet at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Netherlands (FIFA rank: 4)

The Dutch team has been one of the most experienced teams in this tournament and is widely regarded as one of the favorite to win the cup. Considering this, it comes as no surprise that the Oranje finished on the top of their groups with full 9 points by winning their all three games. Netherlands also became the first team to qualify for the Round of 16 after they won their first two matches.

Their campaign started with an all-European battle against the Denmark, which they won thanks to an own goal just after halftime and a Dirk Kuyt goal 5 minutes from the end. They found it tougher against Japan, with just a Wesley Snejder goal in the beginning of the second half separating the two teams.

Their last game against Cameroon was far from their best. With Holland already through to the second round and Cameroon out, it took Robin van Persie's 36th-minute flash of inspiration to get things going. The Oranje played in second gear for much of the game, not really coming alive until Robben's introduction. There were flashes of quality to suggest that they may be genuine contenders but, in a forgettable match in which they simply looked to stay in control, they rarely looked troubled.

Netherlands looks very solid with Van Bommel and De Jong in midfield, having 4 dangerous players in front of them that can create important chances at any moment. Even though Holland is considered an attacking side, under Marwijk’s command they improved a lot defensively, when they lose the ball, they make their opponents go through two lines of defense. This made their defense very solid, so even the most creative of teams will have their work cut out breaking through them.

Marwijk will recover Van der Wiel for his starting eleven and Arjen Robben will be able to play against Slovakia since the beginning of the game. Robben played 20 minutes against Cameroon and he looked quite fast and excited to become an important player for Netherlands in this World Cup.

Probable line-up:

Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel - Heitinga - Mathijsen - Van Bronckhorst
Van Bommel- De Jong
Kuyt - Sneijder - Robben
Van Persie

Slovakia (FIFA rank: 34)

Slovakia is one of the pleasant surprises from this edition of the World Cup, considering that they are appearing for the first time at a World Cup. Slovakia have improved in each qualifier to enter a World Cup final, being 4th for France 98, 3rd for Japan and Korea 2002 and runner-up for Germany 2006.

Everything seemed to be going wrong for Slovakia in their bid to qualify for the knockout stage. First, they came up against the group’s underdogs New Zealand and let a 1-0 lead through Robert Vittek in the 50th minute slip away to a New Zealand equalizer three minutes into stoppage time.

In the second match, they were no match for a rampant Paraguay who earned a 2-0 lead through goals from Enrique Vera half way through the first half and Cristian Riveros four minutes from time.

Having 1 point from two games and World Champions Italy still to face, not many gave them credit for progressing into the second round but they proved everyone wrong after an enthusiastic performance against a poor Italy side. Robert Vittek was the man of the match, he opened the scoring in the first half and added a second twenty minutes from the end. A minute to go, Kamil Kopunek looked to have ended the match when he put Slovakia 3-1 up but Italy were close to equalize in the added-time. The final score 3-2 was set by a superb finish from Quagliarella.

They showed a major improvement after their defeat to Paraguay. Undoubtedly this is the greatest result in the country's short history. Vittek led the line well and the midfield showed fantastic energy right up to the end. However, defensive errors must be cut out if further progress is to be made but it was a resolute performance and Vladimir Weiss's side fully deserve their place in the second round.

Slovakia will have an important absence, Zdenko Strba (defensive midfielder) is suspended.

Probable line-up:

Jan Mucha
Peter Pekarik - Martin Skrtel - Jan Durica - Radoslav Zabavnik
Marek Hamsik - Juraj Kucka - Kamil Kopunek - Miroslav Stoch
Robert Vittek - Erik Jendrisek

The Betting Verdict :

There is no doubt about the favorite in this game, but Netherlands will have to play at their best potential because they are facing a team that has nothing to lose.

There is a cliché saying that Holland simply never fulfilled their potential in the important tournaments (like their elimination at Euro 2008 in QF against Russia) but I think that if they will disappoint in this World Cup they won’t do it against Slovakia, it is more likely against Brazil in the quarter-finals.

Having already defeated such a strong team like Italy, Slovakia should be more confident, but on the other hand there are several class steps between these two teams. Netherlands should live up to the expectations and deliver a positive result here.

The Pick :

Netherlands 2-0 Slovakia

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Main bet: Netherlands to win at 1.50 Pinnacle
Side bets: Robben to score anytime at 2.88 Bet365
Netherlands to win to nil at 2.00 Ladbrokes