In a clash steeped in World Cup history, the Netherlands and Argentina face off in what promises to be a semi-final classic at Sao Paulo’s Arena Corinthians on Wednesday.

In four previous meetings between the two sides, the Dutch have prevailed twice. Argentina won one and the other game ended in a draw.

But Argentina’s victory came in the biggest match of them all — at the final of the 1978 World Cup.

Four years after being hammered 4-0 by the Dutch in their second-round match, a Mario Kempes-inspired Argentina claimed their first World Cup title with a 3-1 win after extra-time.

The two sides then waited for 20 years before clashing again, with a sublime Dennis Bergkamp goal giving the Dutch a 2-1 victory in the 1998 World Cup quarter-final.

Their last meeting didn’t follow the trends of the past, with both teams playing a goalless draw in their final group game at the 2006 World Cup. But the latest instalment of their storied rivalry is set to be anything but like that.

“They [Argentina] are a fantastic team,” Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul, the star of their penalty shootout win over Costa Rica in the quarter-finals, said at a press conference on Sunday.

“They are in the semi-finals. You have to be a fantastic team to be there,” added the Newcastle United custodian, who made two saves to help the Dutch win the shootout 4-3 after the game had ended in a goalless draw on Saturday.

Also read: Germany humiliate Brazil 7-1 to reach World Cup final

“But we are a fantastic team as well and I think that we can be really confident with what we’ve shown and the players we’ve got.

“We’re re really fit, I think we’re fitter than most teams at the World Cup and we can be confident it should be a fantastic game.”

With penalties looming, Krul came on as a substitute in the last minute of extra-time for regular keeper Jasper Cillessen who is expected to return to goal against Argentina.

Cillessen will have his work cut out to stop Argentinean ace Lionel Messi from adding to the four goals he has already scored at the World Cup.

But Alejandro Sabella’s main concern would be the absence of Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, who suffered a muscle tear during Argentina’s 1-0 quarter-final win against Belgium on Saturday.

“He [Di Maria] is a good player, but we look at the whole team, not one player,” Cillessen said on Sunday. “We’re going to watch ... how Argentina play. We’re going to make our plan to beat Argentina.”

But Argentina will be able to welcome back striker Sergio Aguero from injury and he is likely to start upfront with Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, who scored the winner against Belgium.

Left-back Marco Rojo returns after a suspension, but it is Messi who the Dutch believe they need to contain.

Messi showed his versatility against Belgium when he dropped behind Higuain and Ezequiel Lavezzi in a playmaker’s role, controlling the tempo of the game.

“We have to cut the supply line to Messi,” Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi said.

If Argentina have Messi, the Dutch have Arjen Robben.

DUTCH PIVOT: Netherlands coach Louis Van Gaal has changed his formations for each game, but Robben remains the focal point of their attack with his high-speed dribbling and shooting.

And along with striker and captain Robin Van Persie, the Argentinian defence will have their hands full to stop the trailblazing Dutch.

“We know that we are going to play against a team that is at its best when playing on the counter-attack, because of the pace they have in attack,” said Argentina’s midfielder Javier Mascherano.

“We need to make sure we don’t lose the ball unnecessarily. Concentration will be key, along with the way we set our stall out in the match, and we will need to be patient when it comes to making decisions.”

Van Gaal’s only injury concern will be defensive stalwart Ron Vlaar, who is a serious doubt for the semi-final with a knee injury.

Powerful defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong is already out with a torn groin muscle as the Netherlands look to end their tag of being one of the World Cup’s best bridesmaids.

The Dutch have been in the final three times and have lost on all occasions — in 1974, 1978 and 2010.

“The semi-finals are fantastic, but we know what it feels like to lose a World Cup, and we would love to win,” Netherlands winger Dirk Kuyt said.

Messi and company, though have different ideas. Having helped Argentina qualify for their first semi-finals since 1990, Messi believes the Argentina team is peaking at the right time.

“We produced a complete match against Belgium,” Messi said after their quarter-final win. “Argentina have gone a long time without reaching a semi-final and it was us who crossed the frontier.”

Probable teams:

NETHERLANDS: Jasper Cillessen, Stefan de Vrij, Ron Vlaar, Bruno Martins Indi, Dirk Kuyt, Daley Blind, Arjen Robben, Georginio Wijnaldum, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie, Memphis Depay.

ARGENTINA: Sergio Romero, Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Ezequiel Garay, Marcos Rojo, Javier Mascherano, Lucas Biglia, Enzo Perez, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Gonzalo Higuain, Lionel Messi.

Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2014