Another chapter in the heated rivalry between the Netherlands and Argentina will unfold at Lusail Stadium on Friday with a spot in the semi-finals of the World Cup at stake.
The Dutch were the first to book their place in the last eight, beating the USA 3-1 in the round of 16 as Louis Van Gaal's men are unbeaten so far in this competition, collecting seven points from their first three fixtures to top Group A.
Lionel Scaloni's men faced some intense pressure in the latter stages of their knockout game against Australia but managed to come away with a 2-1 victory, qualifying for the quarter-finals for the fourth time this century.
Holland and Argentina have had their share of intense battles on the ultimate footballing stage, and Friday will be the sixth time they meet at the World Cup.
Overall these sides have played each other nine times, most recently in the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup in a match which ended 0-0 after 120 minutes.
Argentina keeper Sergio Romero would go on to stop Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder from 12 yards away, while the Argentines converted all four of their spot kicks as Maxi Rodriguez sent them into the final with his decisive effort.
The last two meetings between these nations ended 0-0 during normal time, including in 2006 when Marco van Basten's Dutch squad and Jose Pekerman's Argentina failed to find the back of the net, with both teams advancing out of the group stage at that World Cup.
Dutch fans will have fond memories of their triumph versus La Albiceleste at France 98 as Patrick Kluivert gave Guus Hiddink's men the lead before Claudio Lopez levelled the match five minutes later.
That encounter looked to be headed for extra time before an altercation between Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and Argentina's Ariel Ortega dramatically changed the complexion of that game.
The former River Plate midfielder was sent off for a headbutt in the 88th minute on Van der Sar, 12 minutes after Holland were reduced to 10 men when Arthur Numan received a second booking.
In the end, it was a moment of magic from Netherlands striker Dennis Bergkamp which sent them through as he controlled a pinpoint ball from Frank de Boer, took an inside touch and volleyed it into the top corner, giving his side a famous 2-1 victory.
In 1978, these sides met in the final both seeking their first World Cup, with Mario Kempes scoring twice in front of the raucous crowd in Buenos Aires, while Rob Rensenbrink hit the post in injury time as the match finished 1-1 in normal time.
Argentina emerged victorious 3-1 after extra time in a fixture mired in controversy from alleged stalling tactics by the hosts before the game began to the Argentines questioning the plaster cast of Rene van de Kerkohf.
In the first World Cup meeting between these teams, the Dutch total football was on full display as a brace from Johan Cruyff, plus one from Johnny Rep and Ruud Krol gave Rinus Michels's team a comfortable 4-0 triumph.
The last victory for Holland against La Albiceleste came in a 2003 friendly, when Giovanni van Bronckhorst scored the only goal in a 1-0 win.
NETHERLANDS VS. ARGENTINA HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Netherlands wins: 4
Argentina wins: 3
Draws: 2
Netherlands goals: 13
Argentina goals: 6
MATCH HISTORY
May 26, 1974: Netherlands 4-1 Argentina (Friendly)
June 26, 1974: Argentina 0-4 Netherlands (World Cup)
June 25, 1978: Argentina 3-1 Netherlands (World Cup)
May 22, 1979: Argentina 0-0 Netherlands (FIFA Celebration)
July 4, 1999: Netherlands 2-1 Argentina (World Cup)
March 31, 1999: Netherlands 1-1 Argentina (Friendly)
February 12, 2003: Netherlands 1-0 Argentina (Friendly)
June 21, 2006: Netherlands 0-0 Argentina (World Cup)
July 9, 2014: Argentina 0-0 Netherlands (Argentina wins 4-2 on penalties) (World Cup)
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Joel Lefevre
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