Brazil vs. Netherlands (+120, +230, Draw +280)
Brazil and the Netherlands both reached Saturday's World Cup third-place game in heart-wrenching fashion. The host Brazilians were throttled 7-1 by Germany in their final four game on Tuesday afternoon, leaving their millions of fans - not to mention the soccer world - dumbfounded and disappointed. The Dutch suffered a very different defeat, dominating play against Argentina but ultimately dropping the semifinal showdown 4-2 on penalties.
With neither team all that interested in playing for third, it will be interesting to see how both clubs approach the match. Both teams are expected to make changes to their starting lineups, favoring younger players or those who have seen limited action so far in the World Cup over established stars who may be tired or disinterested in the match. The Dutch, in particular, may struggle to regroup as they remain without a World Cup championship to their credit.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
WORLD RANKINGS: Brazil: No. 3; Netherlands: No. 15.
INJURY REPORT: Brazil: F Neymar is sidelined for the match with broken vertebrae. Netherlands: None.
WHAT THE SHARPS SAY: "Brazil will still be licking their wounds after the mauling by Germany, I can see this game meaning more to Brazilians, Louis Van Gaal (Dutch coach) has already made it clear that the 3rd place play-off game is pointless." - Covers Experts' Footy Tipster
WHAT THE BOOKS SAY: "Money makes our markets move, so we'll continue to watch what comes in, but motivation certainly plays a role. Lineups will be of critical importance to the Brazil-Netherlands outcome, and with the two teams expressing vastly different attitudes towards the match, it wouldn't be surprising to see those attitudes reflected in lineup composition. We're accounting for that possibility in our market management, and bettors should certainly be doing the same when deciding which nation to back." - Pinnacle Sports.
WAG WAR: Bruna Marquezine, girlfriend of Brazil F Neymar, vs. Bouchra van Persie, wife of Netherlands F Robin van Persie.
ABOUT BRAZIL: Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari will come under fire the moment the tournament ends after overseeing his nation's worst defeat in 84 years - but he remains focused on salvaging some national pride aturday. "I know my career will be marked by this defeat but we have an obligation to move on, thinking about the next goal, which in this case is the match for third place in Brasilia," he told reporters. "I know it's a much smaller dream than we all wanted but we have to honor the shirt of the national team."
ABOUT THE NETHERLANDS: Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal has strong feelings about the World Cup's third-place game - and they're not positive ones. "(It) should never be played," he said in the moments following the semifinal loss to Argentina. "... the worst thing is i believe that chances are that you lose twice in a row. And a tournament in which you've played so marvelously well, you would go home as a loser just because you could possibly have lost the last two matches and this has got nothing to do with sport in my view."
TRENDS:
- Brazil holds a 4-3 edge in the head-to-head series, with the teams drawing five times.
- The Netherlands defeated Brazil 2-1 in their last World Cup meeting four years ago in South Africa.
- An average of 4.2 goals have been scored in the last nine third-place games.
- Neither team has appeared in the third-place match since 1998, when the Dutch dropped a 2-1 decision to Croatia.