Angel Di Maria, meanwhile, turned himself into a heroic figure after salvaging victory against Switzerland, and despite being well below his best, sneaks onto the left side of midfield. The tenacious midfielder has never stopped harrying and recovering in the middle and deserves recognition. View the starting lineups and subs for the Argentina vs Belgium match on 05.07.2014, plus access full match preview and predictions. They still have enough time to show football fans that the great expectations and hopes laid in them weren’t for nothing.On the other hand, Belgium became much stronger over the course of the past 10 to 15 years. The back four is completed by an Atletico Madrid player: Tobias Alderweireld helped strengthen the defence when he entered for the Algeria match, and he has been an ever-present since missing the nation's debut. But the real revelation has been Romero, who has come to his side's rescue on more than one occasion so far in the World Cup. Argentina has won every match they played on this World Cup, but despite their apparent efficiency, the quality of the football they are playing is lacking.A team with players such as Messi, Mascherano, Aguero, Di Maria, Higuain has to play much better football and to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents. From the Belgium side, Zabaleta's club team-mate Vincent Kompany does get the nod, filling in alongside Garay in a strong-looking partnership. They have a lot of stars like Kompany, Fellaini, Lukaku, Verthongen, Hazard, and of course all of them are lead by expert Marc Wilmots, a former national football star.Their strong defensive game, which resulted in conceding only 2 goals in 4 matches on this World Cup tournament, and their great attacking component (resting on the shoulders of one attacker, Romelu Lukaku) are giving their opponents nightmares.The match against USA was very tough and very exciting, since USA also showed that they can play top class football, but at the end Belgium managed to emerge from that match as winners. However, the position is not as clear-cut as many may have expected before the tournament began. With eight wins out of eight, Saturday sees two of the World Cup's perfect nations face off at the quarter-final stage. View the starting lineups and subs for the Germany vs Argentina match on 13.07.2014, plus access full match preview and predictions. By the end of the match, one of those sides will maintain that 100 percent streak, while the other will be preparing to take the plane home. 2014-07-05 Argentina: Belgium: 1:0 c. World Cup 2014 - Quarter-Finals 2014-07 … The choice for the No. 0 of 5. The Barcelona star has been outstanding for his nation, driving them to victory on various occasions and in a manner that seems appropriate for Hollywood film scripts. El Chiquito pushes hard for the spot, in spite of his propensity to keep fans' hearts in their mouths with an erratic move. World Cup 2014: Argentina into semi-finals at expense of Belgium Dominic Fifield at the Estádio Nacional Sat 5 Jul 2014 16.17 EDT First published on Sat 5 Jul 2014 13.59 EDT With just three places in the middle up for grabs, competition is fierce between the two star-studded countries. The Argentina vs Belgium (Belgica) match will be played on Saturday 5th July (9:00 AM Pacific) in Estadio Nacional de Brasilia.This match is going to be very important for Belgium … But which country goes into the match in the best form? On one side, Belgium's Liga-winning goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Belgium only conceded three goals in their five games at the 2014 World Cup finals. Centre-back Federico Fernandez has been extremely unsteady for the nation so far, while Pablo Zabaleta has not hit the same form seen in Manchester. Rojo and strong stopper Ezequiel Garay, then, go forward to fill half of the back line on this combined team. Courtois has caused no surprises with his diligent keeping and impressive athleticism. 1 jersey is a straight decision between just two men. Aside from 45 ill-advised minutes with five at the back, Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella has been nothing if not consistent with his defensive choices. Outside La Pulga, however, there is slim pickings from the Albiceleste. There was more Messi magic to come. Prior to the tournament, Argentina and Belgium promised more than most teams going forward. Taking the players who have performed the best in the World Cup so far, here is a combined starting line-up that brings together the finest Argentina and Belgium have to offer. Argentina and Belgium have talent to spare, and their last-eight clash will be a fascinating battle between two attack-minded teams.
But Courtois wins out after a hard fight and will be the combined team's goalkeeper.
Managing a slow pace of football and conducting a very steady match can sometimes be a great recipe for a win, but not for this team.Argentina has played some very dominant football on this World Cup, which was their strategy for the match against Switzerland in the round of 16, but they had to play extra time, and what led them to the quarter finals and the match against Belgium was one meager goal that they barely scored in the first place.If they want to win this World Cup tournament, they should be better than that, and a team as strong as Argentina can offer a lot more. The same players have lined up for each game, although the suspension of Marcos Rojo will force a change when they take on Belgium. ... here is a combined starting line-up that brings together the finest Argentina and Belgium have to offer. On the other, Monaco reserve, the much-maligned Sergio Romero of Argentina. With four goals, the Albiceleste captain and saviour Lionel Messi is an obvious choice in a front three inspired by Sabella's choice for his team.
Picking a Combined Argentina vs. Belgium 2014 World Cup XI. Javier Mascherano has been immense so far at the World Cup, the best man in an Argentina shirt across the 90 minutes of each game.