Match 57 - Quarter-finals - 02 July
Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth - Port Elizabeth Stadium
Head-to-Head
NED:BRA
wins 2:3
draws 4
goals 13:14
TEAM NEWSBrazil will be without playmaker Elano, who is suffering from a bruised bone in his right ankle. Felipe Melo (ankle) and Julio Baptista (knee) are doubtful to make the starting line-up. Fellow midfielder Ramires is suspended, leaving coach Dunga with limited options.
The Netherlands go into the match with a clean bill of health and are expected to field the same line-up that beat Slovakia in their last 16 encounter.
Suspended: Ramires (Brazil); one booking from suspension: De Jong, Van Persie, Van der Wiel, Kuyt, Van der Vaart, Van Bronckhorst, Robben, Stekelenburg (Netherlands); Fabiano, Juan, Melo, Kaka (Brazil).
MATCH PREVIEW
The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium hosts the teams ranked first and fourth in the world, in a fascinating quarter-final encounter. Will it be jogo bonito versus total football, or winning ugly at the expense of the beautiful game?
Brazil and the Netherlands have come to South Africa to win, not to entertain. Pragmatic, workmanlike and efficient may be dirty words in both countries, but coaches Dunga and Bert van Marwijk aren't listening. "We came here to win," said Van Marwijk. "If we can win with beautiful football then fine, but I said when I took this job that we would also have to learn how to win ugly games."
You can see Van Marwijk's point. In years gone by, the Dutch would delight and dismay in equal measure, but they head into Friday's match on a all-time national record, 23-game unbeaten run and have won all eight of their games in 2010. The likes of Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart are yet to dazzle in South Africa, but the Dutch defence, cited as the team's weak spot before the tournament, has yet to concede a goal from open play (the two goals scored against them were penalties).
Dunga captained Brazil to World Cup glory in 1994 - beating the Netherlands along the way - with a team that was criticised for its negative approach, and is immune to sniping about his current side, perhaps with good reason. Only Germany and Argentina have scored more goals and, according to Fifa, Brazil have created more goal opportunities than any other side.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- This will be the 10th meeting between these sides. Brazil have won three to the Netherlands' two, with four draws.
- They have met at the World Cup on three previous occasions: the Netherlands reached the 1974 final thanks to a 2-0 win in the second group stage; Brazil won 3-2 in the 1994 quarter-finals; and the 1998 semi-final ended in a 1-1 draw, with Brazil progressing on penalties.
Netherlands
- The Netherlands have won four consecutive World Cup matches, equalling their best-ever run. The last time they managed this was in 1974, when they reached the final.
- Van Marwijk's side are on a 23-match unbeaten run, a record for the Dutch. Their last defeat was in September 2008 (a 2-1 loss to Australia in Eindhoven).
- They have only conceded four goals in their last eight World Cup matches, keeping four clean sheets in the process.
Brazil
- Brazil are competing in the last eight for the 16th time in 19 World Cups.
- The Brazilians have only lost one of their last 30 games. That came in their penultimate qualifier, a game played at altitude in Bolivia after qualification had already been achieved.
- They have participated in all 18 previous World Cups, and have won the most world titles (five).
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)
Assistants: Toru Sagara (Japan) and Jeong Hae-sang (South Korea)
Fourth: Khalil Al-Ghamdi
