Slovakia facing an uphill battle against Holland

Unbeaten Holland will take on Slovakia at Durban Stadium in Durban on June 28 in an attempt to win their first World Cup. Holland, who ended up in first place in Group E after wins over Denmark (2-0), Japan (1-0), and Cameroon (2-1), are one of only two teams to win all three of their group games. Argentina was the other. The Dutch have looked impressive so far with their ability to score goals when needed and have generally done a good job of limiting their opposition’s chances.

The Slovakians have been a bit of an enigma so far. They ended up in second place in Group F after drawing New Zealand 1-1, losing 2-0 to Paraguay, and beating the reigning World cup champions Italy 3-2 to advance to the playoff round. Slovakia’s offense was almost non-existent in the first two games, but came to life against the Italians just in time.

Holland has a strong ream all the way through with no apparent weak spots. Their attacking options are endless with forwards Dirk Kuyt, Robin Van Persie, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Arjen Robben, and midfielder Wesley Sneijder all capable of putting the ball in the net. They also take care of their own end of the pitch in an orderly fashion with John Heitinga and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst leading the way at the back.

Slovakia will have to hope their offensive performance against Italy was a sign of things to come and not just a one-off thing. They have decent firepower up front with Robert Vittek, who banged in two against Italy, but need to create chances instead of sitting back and waiting. And with 10 players aged 25 and under, should have the energy to do it. Captain Marek Hamsik is strong in midfield along with Kamil Kopunek, with defenders Martin Skrtel, and Radoslav Zabavnik playing well in the back four.

Holland and Slovakia have met nine times before with Slovakia winning six of them, losing two, and drawing one. They have also outscored Holland 17 to 8 in those games, so their past record should give them some added confidence heading into this match, if it’s not sky high already after knocking off Italy.

Slovakia will have to create and take their chances against Holland to win the game. Just creating a few chances in each half won’t do it if they don’t bury any of them. They also need to be ready for the Dutch onslaught and defend well, while quickly moving the ball up field and matching Holland in pace. Holland can just keep playing the same way they have during the first three games and they shouldn’t run into any trouble. However, it would be interesting to see how they react if they fall behind.

Odds and Predictions

Slovakia has done well, but Holland is much better than Italy at the moment and won’t wilt under pressure. The Dutch have enough experience and skill to take this game by a couple of goals, most likely 2-0.

Ladbrokes has the Dutch listed as firm favourites in this match with the odds of them winning set at 21/50 while a win for Slovakia is 8/1. The odds of a draw after 90 minutes are 13/4. Sportsbook offers the best odds selection for US players.

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