Lionel Messi has been in excellent form in the ongoing FIFA World Cup, scoring three goals in Argentina’s run to the quarter-finals in Qatar. The Argentina captain scored a goal in his side’s 2-1 Round of 16 win vs Australia and also scored two goals in the group stage. The CONMEBOL side will now face Netherlands in the quarter-finals, on Saturday, at the Lusail Stadium.
Netherlands sealed a 3-1 win vs USA in their Round of 16 fixture and Dutch coach Louis van Gaal will be seeking revenge against Argentina. The European country lost to Argentina in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals with Van Gaal at the helm.
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Speaking to the media, the former Manchester United gaffer revealed that he has a plan to take advantage of Messi’s weakness. “Messi is the most dangerous creative player, he is able to create a lot and to score goals himself. But when they lose the ball he doesn’t participate much, this gives us chances”, he said.
When asked about his tactical plan for Messi, he simply said, “You will see on Friday. I won’t tell you”.
Messi’s strike against Australia was also his ninth World Cup goal and first in the knockout stages of the showpiece event. It was his 789th career goal in all competitions, with Australia the 129th different opponent he has scored against. Meanwhile, Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk feels Argentina are not just about Messi. Ahead of the game, he said, “I think we have shown against all kinds of countries what we are capable of under this national coach. He is one of the best players of all time. It is an honour to play against him. But it is not me against him, or the Netherlands against him, but the Netherlands against Argentina. And they have many more players who are world-class.”