Netherlands vs Denmark - Prediction

Netherlands

v

Denmark

Group E

11:30 AM GMT, June 14, 2010

Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

Netherlands player in focus: Wesley Sneijder. One of the best players in Europe last season, Sneijder was the midfield mastermind behind Inter Milan's Champions League triumph. His career has been resurrected at the San Siro after he struggled to make an impression at Real Madrid - despite starring for Netherlands at Euro 2008. With a keen eye for an incisive pass, Sneijder will be creator-in-chief for the Dutch and opponents should beware his accurate delivery from set-pieces, and superb shooting ability from distance.

Denmark player in focus: Christian Poulsen. After enduring a torrid season with Juventus, Poulsen will be relishing playing with a group of players who may actually resemble a team. A tough-tackling midfielder, his presence will be crucial in ensuring the likes of Sneijder and Van der Vaart don't see too much of the ball. Keep an eye on his temper though, he has a rather chequered disciplinary history.

Key battle: Robin van Persie v Daniel Agger. Van Persie has looked backed to his clinical best since returning to the national team, bagging four goals in the Oranje's three warm-up games. After missing a large chunk of Arsenal's season, despite an apparent visit to the Serbian placenta clinic, Van Persie now looks fresh and ready to spearhead Van Marwjik's forward line at the finals. Standing in his way for Denmark is Liverpool's Daniel Agger. Injury has kept his profile under the radar, but he has proved a commanding presence at the back for his country when he has played. His aerial ability isn't great, but he's more than capable of matching RVP on the ground.

Trivia: Aged just 18 years and three months old when the tournament starts, Denmark's Christian Eriksen will be the youngest player at the 2010 World Cup, narrowly ahead of Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon, and the youngest in his side by almost three years (Simon Kjaer was born on March 26, 1989)

Stats: The Netherlands have lost only one of their last 12 group stage matches at World Cup finals (against Belgium in 1994).

Odds: Netherlands (1.53), the draw (4.00), Denmark (6.50) with Bet365. Netherlands to lead at half-time, but a draw at full-time is priced attractively at 19.00.

Prediction: This could well be the game that decides who wins the group and so could prove to be a tight encounter, despite Netherlands plethora of attacking talent. Having faced Portugal in qualifying, Denmark showed themselves to be adept at handling teams full of forward flair and their organisation will be key again in this one. If the Danes stay disciplined, a draw is on the cards.

Netherlands 2-0 is the most possible result.