HOLLAND v ARGENTINA, IVORY COAST v SERBIA - MATCH PREVIEW II
Andy Morgan

Argentina are likely to leave wonderkid Lionel Messi on the bench and start with Pablo Aimar, Carlos Tevez and Julio Cruz. Aimar came on for the last minute in place of Requelme in the match against the Ivory Coast whilst Tevez replaced Saviola against the Serbs.

Both will be looking to stake a place for a permanent place in the team for the Second Round tie. With thirty-nine caps leading into the tournament, Valencia's Aimar in particular will be looking to get back into favour with Argentina boss Jose Peckerman. The same can be said for the disappointing Tevez - three goals in twenty matches is not a good return for a striker of this standard. The same can be said for Inter Milan's Julio Cruz - three in fifteen is just not good enough.

The other game of the day is the battle to avoid leaving empty handed as Serbia and Montenegro take on the Ivory Coast. The Ivorians can consider themselves unlucky that they had the misfortune to be drawn in the Group of Death as had they been in any other group you would feel that their progress would have been assured. Serbia have been terrible meanwhile and it has hard not to see anything other than an African victory here. I bet the Montengrans can't wait for independence they've been so bad.

Top scorer, capitan and talisman Didier Drogba is suspended however. This will make it harder for the African nation to secure their first ever World Cup win. Up front they will start with the two Kone's, who have seven international goals between them. They are full-strength apart from Drogba's enforced absence.

Midfielder Kanga Akale of Auxerre is set to start and is a threat from midfield with four goals to his name already.

This is Serbia and Montenegro's final game before the two countries split and are without Mateja Kezman and Ognjen Koroman, who are both suspended. They will be a significant loss as Kezman is their strongest player, with sixteen goals to his credit. Ivica Dragutinovic, Albert Nadj, Dusan Basta, and Danijel Ljuboja are all concerns for the Serbians. They may also be without their captain and top-scorer Savo Milosevic.

Both teams are playing for pride, particularly the Serbians who are looking to claw back some sort of credibility after their 6-0 mauling at the hands of Argentina. That was described as a 'humiliation' by Serbian coach Ilija Petkovic. Unrest has characterised their bulid-up to the game however with threats of their bonuses for reaching the World Cup being taken away from them unless they can regain 'dignity' in their final match.

The Serbians however are wounded and with a lack of focus it is hard to see anything other than an African victory here particularly as their negativity has forced Petkovic to quit as manager of the national side. He has stated politically motivated reasons relating to the break-up of the two nations as the reason for his side's abysmal tournament.

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