Andy Gray believes Holland will progress to the final tomorrow by beating Uruguay in the first semi-final, and the well respected Sky Sports pundit has backed Robin Van Persie to find his form that has thus far deserted him.
The Arsenal striker has scored just once during the finals, against Cameron, and although some have suggested the forward may be dropped in favour of Klass Jan Huntelaar, Gray believes Bert Van Marwijk will stick with the mercurial Emirates star.
Gray said: “Many people out there have been somewhat surprised that Uruguay; backed at Betfair’s maximum price of 1000.0 when the market first went up, have made the last four. Don’t be.”
“Any side who can defend in a resolute and organised fashion and has something special up front is always in with a chance.”
“It’s a simple game plan but an effective one – defend as a unit, work hard in midfield and rely on the magic of Diego Forlan and the finishing of Luis Suarez to make something happen for you when you do have the ball.”
“The bad news for Uruguay is that their next opponents are the best side they will have faced in the competition so far, by some distance.”
“They’re the only side to have won all their matches and what they lack in creative spark and flair that past Dutch teams have had, they more than make up with in hard work, discipline and mental strength.”
“The one slight concern has been the form of Robin Van Persie in this tournament. Just one goal so far, and a string of somewhat indifferent performances, most of which have resulted in him being substituted before the final whistle.”
“The temptation must be there for Bert Van Marwijk to drop the Arsenal man and play Dirk Kuyt or Klass Jan Huntelaar as the focal point of the attack but I’m not so sure he will.”
“Suspensions to the excellent Nigel De Jong and the impressive Gregory Van Der Wiel mean he will already have to make changes for this match so my feeling is RVP will get one last chance to impress and I’m backing him to finally make a real impact on this tournament when it most matters.”
“I’ve mentioned Luis Suarez above and his handball in the dying seconds against Ghana may be the reason why they’re still in this competition but it came at a price and he will be sorely missed as he serves a one-match ban.”
“Then there’s the extra physical and mental exertion of going through extra-time and penalties to get past Ghana, whilst the Dutch did it in normal time.”
“It’s been a great adventure for this fine Uruguayan side and a reminder that this was the team who once dominated the world game but my gut feeling is that the journey stops here.”
Recommended Bets:
Back the Netherlands to win in 90 minutes at 1.66
Back Robin Van Persie to score at 2.8
Betfair ambassador Andy Gray was speaking on behalf of www.thevoiceofthefans.com – the home of World Cup fan opinion