Euro 2008 quarter final

Netherlands V Russia

To be honest I was one of the people who doubted that the Dutch would make any real significant contribution to the tournament but how wrong I was. They opened up Italy and France and a largely second string side beat the Romanians to give them a 100% record thus far. Now a new task faces them in the form of the Russians who have been hard to figure out to date. In the opening game against Spain they looked outclassed and didn’t impress all that much against the Greeks side either. But then came that wonderful display against Sweden where they scored two great goals and passed the ball about with ease. On that evidence its very hard to ignore the fact that they are capable of giving the Netherlands a good game tonight.
My only concern for the Russians is that they were in action on Wednesday night in a crucial game whereas the Dutch booked this ticket a long time ago giving themselves a chance to rest players. For that reason alone I think the Dutch will have a huge advantage in the fitness stakes and that especially as the game wears on this will come into play. Also the quality of the Dutch bench is worth noting, Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar are not guaranteed starting places and they would walk onto most national sides. For Russia Arshavin is they key man, he looked sharp and eager against Sweden but surely wont have as much time and space here tonight.

Verdict
I have to go with the Dutch here, they have demonstrated devastating attacking ability and created numerous chances against Italy and France, teams noted for their defensive qualities.
It may be tight for a while but as the game progresses I think Netherlands will show their superior fitness levels and and pull away. 2 – 1 or 3 – 1 is my verdict. Overs looks to be a decent shout here also.

PICK
Netherlands – 1 (2.18 @ canbet) 4 points