Two nations chasing World Cup glory will do battle today in a match between Australia and Holland. The 2014 World Cup group-stage match scheduled for 12 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre and can be live streamed here free. A free Spanish language stream of the match can be found here. Free radio coverage can be found here. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN, Univision and ESPN Deportes.
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After pushing Chile to the limit in the first round of group matches, Australia returns to the pitch with every intention of frustrating the Dutch. Don't expect head coach Ange Postecoglou to be parking any buses in Porto Alegre. He's there to attack.
"We know we have to be strong defensively. The Dutch are dangerous going forward as they showed against Spain," Postecoglou told media ahead of Wednesday's game (via FIFA). "We know that van Persie and Robben will be a challenge, but we knew that coming into the tournament. In saying that, we also need to be attack-minded. We can't just defend for 90 minutes."
"We just have to believe in what we do and tomorrow [Wednesday]. We will get a chance to find out where we are at," he added. "There's a lot at stake for both teams. For us, if we don't get a result, it's the end of our tournament."
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Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: With Holland no longer having to worry about the potent Spanish attack, head coach Louis Van Gaal can revert back to his qualification system (4-3-3) and concentrate on more possession of the ball. A change in tactics will see the importance of a formidable central midfield heighten. Consistency from Jonathan de Guzman will be needed if Holland is to put its strengths on display. The 26-year-old completed just 80 percent of his passes in the group-stage opener.
Australia's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ryan; Davidson, Spiranovic, Wilkinson, McGowan; Troisi, Jedinak; Oar, Bresciano, Leckie; Cahill
Holland's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Cillessen; Blind, Vlaar, Indi, Janmaat; Jong, Guzman, Clasie; Sneijder, Persie, Robben
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored)
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