Stefan de Vrij relishing prospect of facing Lionel Messi

Netherlands defender Stefan de Vrij has insisted that the prospect of facing Lionel Messi will not force him to lose sleep ahead of Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against Argentina.

Messi has been in impressive form throughout the tournament in Brazil, but De Vrij is confident of nullifying the threat posed by the Barcelona forward as the Dutch look to reach their second successive final.

"I'm not afraid of anyone," the 22-year-old told Algemeen Dagbald. "Not even Messi.

"I am especially focused on him, but I'm not afraid of him. In fact, I am very happy to play against him."

Messi has scored four goals in five games in the tournament.