Netherlands vs. Brazil – One Goal Will Be Enough for Brazil

We’ve reached the Elite Eight of the World Cup. It’s quarter final time and Al Dannity is expecting a classic between Brazil and the Netherlands.

A tailored schedule
Brazil’s manager Dunga must be ecstatic. So far his team has enjoyed the best possible schedule for a World Cup contender. Brazil started with a game against rank outsider North Korea, followed by a decent test against Ivory Coast, and a better one from Portugal. Then in the second round his team faced the perfect change of pace in Chile. Aside from being a tactically fascinating game, this allowed Dunga to work on adapting his team’s game depending on how their opponents play. Now that they have reached the elite stage of the competition, Brazil come to the table well tested but without showing their full hand just yet.

Dutch look to overcome Goliath
The Netherlands and Brazil have quite the history. In 1994 Brazil beat the Netherlands 3-2 at this stage in the game of the tournament en route to claiming the World Cup. Four years later it took a penalty shoot-out for Brazil to push aside the Netherlands at the semi-final stage in another classic.

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It’s no shock to learn then that Brazil has the psychological edge in this rivalry. While historically the Netherlands has been the flair team of Europe, Brazil has been a synonym for style around the globe. Now the Dutch play a more efficient technical game, once again Brazil outshines them with its own scientific approach to the game of Soccer. Never underestimate this mental edge when looking at World Cup betting.

Brazil can exploit holes in the Dutch defense
This game will come down to who makes the fewer errors. The Netherlands have shown an ability to prevent teams from pressing forward, essentially defending from the front. This won’t trouble Brazil. Dunga’s team has shown the patience of champions in dissecting opponents so far. This should lead to a tight low-scoring game, with only one or two goals in it come the final whistle.

While the Dutch will prove a tougher test, the result will be the same. Brazil finds the weaknesses in its opponents and shows no mercy. In this case the Dutch center backs have looked sloppy throughout the tournament, lacking the intensity required to cover a player like Luis Fabiano. I like Luis Fabiano at +120 with Sports Interaction to score in this game. Bet on Brazil to break Dutch hearts yet again.