ARGENTINA look a good bet, at a general 11-10, to beat Holland in their group C clash in Frankfurt on Wednesday night (live on ITV, start 8pm).
Many punters will give the match a swerve because both teams have already qualified for the second round, where they are likely to meet either Portugal or Mexico.
However, Argentina were irresistible when trouncing Serbia & Montenegro 6-0 in their latest match and, keen to maintain confidence and the momentum, seem unlikely to make many changes.
By contrast, Marco van Basten, the Holland coach, has said that he will leave out all six Dutch players who have picked up a yellow card during the tournament, ensuring that they are free for the next round. If he stays true to his word, that means Robben, Heitinga, van Bronckhorst, Boulahrouz, Mathijsen and van Bommel will all be left on the sidelines.
The bookmakers seem oblivious to this because Holland, workmanlike in beating Serbia and then Ivory Coast in their opening group matches, are generally quoted at 5-2, with the draw 2-1.
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The impressive nature of Argentina’s victories has seen their overall odds slashed from 7-1 to 3-1 by William Hill. And their players have also been movers in other markets. Hernan Crespo, their leading forward, who already has two goals to his name, is 11-2 from 16-1 with Blue Square to be the tournament’s leading goalscorer, while Juan Roman Riquelme, their chief playmarker, is 6-1 favourite (from 10-1) with the same firm to be named as player of the tournament.