Uruguay Vs. Netherlands 07/06/10 Kamal’s Free Pick and Preview: FIFA World Cup 2010 2:30PM ET (CBC and ESPN)
The FIFA World Cup is down to its final four, as Uruguay and Netherlands face off for a spot in the World Cup Final.
Netherlands beat Brazil 2-1 in somewhat of a shocker, it didn’t start of well as Dutch central defender Joris Mathijsen pulled a muscle in warm-ups and was replaced by Andre Ooijer. That was a big factor in Brazil getting the opening goal in only the 10th min, it was Ooijer who left Robinho onside in a late attempt at an offside trap. It took the rest of the first half for Netherlands to recover, but it was exactly what they needed because they came out much better in the second half. The class of Wesley Sneijder shone through, as he scored from beautiful free kick in the 53rd and via a header in the 68th minutes to seal a semifinal place. Now they turn their attention to Uruguay, but will miss some key players for this game as Gregory Van der Wiel and Nigel De Jong have accumulated too many cards. With Mathijsen set to return, Andre Ooijer can easily slide over to the right wing back spot in place of Van der Wiel. The replacing of De Jong however is not as easy; his defensive partnership with Mark Van Bommel is what holds this Dutch team together. Look for Ibrahim Afellay to take his place, and although he’s doesn’t have the natural defensive qualities of a Nigel De Jong he is a more then adequate defender. Against Uruguay, It will have to be Mark Van Bommel who man marks Diego Forlan, he can match him strength wise and if he gives the forward fits throughout the game it will mess with the South Americans attacking approach.
As for Uruguay, they won a dramatic game 4-2 on penalty kicks against Ghana. It was the Uruguayans that had the upper hand for the first 20min but the Ghanaians struck first right before half time with a wicked long-range effort from Sulley Muntari. In the second half it was the reverse, as Ghana had the advantage in possession, but Uruguay leveled the score via a free kick from Diego Forlan. The extra time period proved to be eventful, and Ghana looked to have won in the 120th min. However, a Luis Suarez hand ball on the line saved a sure goal, he was sent off and Ghana were given a second chance through a penalty which was then missed by Asamoah Gyan as he hit it off the crossbar. It took six penalty shots, but its Uruguay who go into the last four. Now they prepare to face the Netherlands, but will also be missing some key players. Along with Luis Suarez serving his red card suspension and Jorge Fucile out due to card accumulation, central defensive partners Diego Godin, Diego Lugano and midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro are nursing injuries and are serious doubts. The miss of Luis Suarez is by far the most concerning, because he will be hard to replace. It looks like the experienced Sebastian Abreu will take his place, but the hones will be on Diego Forlan to lead the team up front.
Kamal’s Prediction: Both teams had some tough games to get to this point, and both teams are missing key players. The Dutch have the edge for me in quality and playmaking, the likes of Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder will prove their quality once more. Nigel De Jong will be a huge miss, but they might just be able to cope with it long enough to win this game. I’m predicting a 2-0 win for Netherlands and a place in the World Cup final.
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