Showing their scintillating form in a 6-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro last Friday, the Argentinians looked unstoppable on the way to seek their third world cup.

    "I'm very proud that I played a part in that match and was part of a historic event," said Crespo, the Argentina forward who scored a goal in the game.

    "We put on a great performance and the challenge now is to maintain it. We must not give our rivals the confidence that will make them believe they can win," he added.

    Argentina's extraordinary performance has made them favorites to win the World Cup. Their ability to keep possession and their cutting edge up front has set them apart from most teams in the tournament.

    However, the Dutch hold indisputable advantage as they have four victories, one draw in seven previous meetings with Argentina.

    At the 1974 World Cup, the Dutch beat Argentina 4-0. Four years later, Argentina won 3-1 after extra time in the final and eight years ago, a late Dennis Bergkamp goal gave Dutch a 2-1 victory in a quarterfinal tie. Argentina have therefore never beaten the Dutch over 90 minutes, as their sole victory in the 1978 final went to extra time.

    Even Crespo has to admit "We must manage the game as we did against Serbia and Montenegro, although that will be tough."

    Dutch coach Marco van Basten will probably rest the players on yellow cards, Which means van Bronckhorst, van Bommel and Robben might miss the game, all made a first ever victory of Argentina over the Dutch within 90 minutes quite likely, while Pekerman could also field a second string.

    The losing team could meet Brazil in the semi-final. So maybe there is still something to play for.

    Whoever finish top of the group will take on the second-placed team in Group D, and that is likely to be either the Mexicans or the Portuguese. Enditem