Argentina v Serbia Betting Preview

Argentina opened with a professional performance against a battling Ivory Coast side and that same level of professionalism will be required again against a hard to break down Serbia and Montenegro when they meet in Gelsenkirchen on Friday night. In what was technically the best game to date in the tournament the Argentineans went about their work in a very assured and controlled manner. Defending well as a unit and breaking quickly into attack with some lovely interchange passing which really caught the eye. The sublime Riquelme was at the heart of most of their best play and he provided the two killer balls that lead to them scoring twice in the first half. His precision passing and ferocious dead ball deliveries were a constant threat all evening and if allowed the space he is a match winner on his own. Collectively I was very impressed with the South Americans who played with a real zest and guile to do a sound job against an Ivory Coast side who possess a lot of pace and power which, in the humid conditions currently permitting, would of asked a lot of them at this early stage. For the Serbs it was a case of plenty of hard work and effort but no reward as they lost to single goal by man of the match Arjen Robben on Sunday afternoon. The worrying statistic from the game against the Dutch was how much possession they relinquished in the 90 minutes. The Dutch held a commanding 61% share in the game which suggests the Serbs spent a lot of the match on the back foot. Even with the most resolute of rearguards, like the Serbs have, it is too much to ask when you're talking about trying to keep out the likes of Holland and Argentina who have the keys in their repertoire to unlock the tightest of defences. So who holds the key to this match? For me, and I know it sounds like I worship the guy, but it's Riquelme again. Every now and then a playmaker of star quality comes along that can dictate the path a game takes, the likes of Platini, Zidane, Gazza etc and this guy is on his way to joining thiselite group of names. The position he adopts as a roaming midfielder makes him difficult to pick up and if finding himself with time on the ball he rarely wastes possession. I like the way he links up with the forwards, particularly the impish Saviola who in tandem with Crespo make life very difficult for defenders. It was no surprise to see both the front men on the scoresheet considering the quality of service they receive and Riquelme's ball to Saviola for their second on Saturday night was simply exquisite. The Argentineans have a real cutting edge up front and backing this up is the energetic Maxi Rodriguez whose efforts deserved a goal against the Ivorians. His willingness to venture forward got him in behind the full backs on numerous occasions and his pace and endeavour will stretch the Serb back line. Defensively the South Americans looked sound. Cambiasso plays his role as spoiler perfectly in the anchor of the midfield allowing the creative players to act out their parts while the back line has a perfect mix of experience and quality which only really looked threatened by pace which the Serbs don't really possess. As for Serbia & Montenegro's chances, they are obviously a hard team to beat but the Dutch gave them a good going over on Sunday and showed that with decent passing and movement they can look vulnerable at the back. They will be boosted by the return of Man Utd's Namanja Vidic to the heart of their defence but it's their play in the final third that will need improvement if they are to get anything here. Premiership flops Milosevic and Kezman looked unconvincing against the Dutch and the introduction of the giant Zigic didn't improve matters in front of goal as they only managed four attempts on target in the entire 90 minutes. For me this has to be another win for Argentina and at a best price 8/13 some may be tempted to lump on. I like to find a bit of value though and one stand out price in the first goalscorer market is the 5/1 on offer about Hernan Crespo with VCBet.com This clever forward is a real poacher in the box. Some of his movement and runs are of the highest order and with the likely service he'll get on Friday there will be chances falling his way and I expect him to take at least one?hopefully the opener!