The 2022 FIFA World Cup round of 16 kicks off at the Khalifa International Stadium as Group A winners Netherlands face Group B runners-up USA. Louis van Gaal has set the ambitious target of becoming world champions this winter. They topped Group A to secure their passage into the knockout stages. USA finished in second place in Group B behind England, but they are no pushovers, drawing playing quality soccer under head coach Gregg Berhalter.
This is the first competitive match between the two sides having met five times in friendlies since 1998 with Netherlands picking up four wins while USA won their most recent meeting back in 2015.
A minor blip against Ecuador proved to be nothing serious for the Netherlands, who were widely expected to advance to the last 16 as Group A winners and did not let the Oranje faithful down, taking seven points from their three matches.
Netherlands will be looking towards Cody Gakpo up front as the PSV Eindhoven player looks to continue his claim as a Golden Boot candidate despite some underwhelming performances from Oranje in the group stages. They improved greatly against Qatar but the host nation had nothing to play for and there was a clear gulf in quality on all areas of the pitch. With more at stake, they will need to make sure that they go beyond second gear this time.
Tyler Adams has been a force for the Americans. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder who plays for Leeds United in the Premier League has been a box-to-box tackling machine throughout the tournament, tracking back to thwart opponents’ attacks before they can become real threats. He has a team-high 10 tackles entering Saturday’s showdown. The Americans have conceded only one goal in Qatar so far, which came via a spot kick. Despite the United States impressive World Cup campaign so far, the Netherlands are favourites to win this encounter and Betfred is offering a tasty 19/20 for Van Gaal’s side to emerge victorious.