The Netherlands enters its quarterfinal versus Costa Rica as the biggest favorite this round. With a win, the Dutch will take a big step toward qualifying for a second straight final and taking care of the unfinished business lingering after their 2010 campaign fell just short of glory.
Cinderella team Costa Rica shocked the world by emerging as winners of a cutthroat Group D and has already achieved its greatest success at a World Cup. The Ticos must cast aside feelings of satisfaction with a quarterfinals appearance and push forward for even more.
Both teams advanced beyond the Round of 16 in dramatic fashion. The Netherlands scored two late goals to stun Mexico, while Costa Rica recovered after allowing an injury time equalizer versus Greece to win on penalties.
The Details
Teams: Netherlands vs. Costa Rica
Time: 4:00 PM EST
Venue: Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador
Television: ESPN (U.S. - English), Univision (U.S. - Spanish), CBC (Canada)
Injury Report and Suspensions
Costa Rica will be without Oscar Duarte after the defender earned a red card versus Greece. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas played through a shoulder injury in the Round of 16 and is expected to do so once again.
The Dutch are expected to be without Nigel de Jong and Leroy Fer. De Jong tore a groin muscle against Mexico and is not expected to play again in Brazil. Fer is battling a lingering hamstring injury.
Historic Head-to-Head
These two teams have never met at the senior men's level.
The two sides clashed at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2001, with Costa Rica prevailing 3-1. Louis Van Gaal coached that Netherlands side, which boasted a young Arjen Robben and Klaas Jan Huntelaar.
3 Things To Watch
Will the Dutch look past their opponents?
Outside of Australia, world No. 28 Costa Rica is the lowest-ranked team the Netherlands will play in this tournament - a curious oddity to encounter in a quarterfinals match. The temptation for the Dutch will be to look beyond Costa Rica to a more daunting semifinal versus either southern neighbors Belgium or South American superpower Argentina, but this experienced side should be able to avoid making such an error in focus.
"I am positive there will be no underestimating Costa Rica by my players," Van Gaal promised via the BBC.
"To get as far as they can in this tournament is what they want to achieve. They believe that this is the highest podium in world football and they are seeking to stand on it. They won't be underestimating any opponent."
How much more magic can Costa Rica summon?
The Ticos appeared to run out of gas late in their Round of 16 win over Greece, with several players suffering injuries (and several more appearing to simulate injuries to waste time). No one expected this team to still be playing this late in the tournament, and it's fair to question whether manager Jorge Luis Pinto's squad is conditioned for such a grueling run.
How does the referee handle embellishment and simulation?
Pinto publicly stated his fear this week that Robben or another Dutch player will draw a key foul by diving, as he believes Robben did to win a late penalty that the Dutch converted to knock off Mexico.
"I would like to ask FIFA and the referees to watch Robben," said Pinto. "We're really worried about his diving. He has admitted doing it."
Pinto went on to demand match referee Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan dole out yellow cards for simulation.