Hiddink confident of Netherlands success

Guus Hiddink believes the Netherlands have plenty of reasons to be confident when they face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.

Louis van Gaal’s men booked their place in the last four in dramatic fashion on Saturday, beating Costa Rica 4-3 on penalties after 120 minutes of football ended goalless.

The most notable moment in the contest came when Van Gaal made the controversial decision to bring on substitute goalkeeper Tim Krul in favour of number one shot-stopper Jasper Cillessen for the shootout.

It was a move that paid dividends as Newcastle United star Krul made two crucial saves to ensure progress for the Netherlands.

Hiddink, who will take over from Manchester United-bound Van Gaal after the World Cup for a second stint in charge of the national side, praised the switch as “excellent.”

And the 67-year-old hopes the Netherlands can reach a second-successive final by beating Argentina in Sao Paulo on Wednesday.

Speaking of Van Gaal’s risky decision, Hiddink told De Telegraaf: “The technical team has done great preparation. [It was] a great example of teamwork.

“If you see the qualities of this team we should have confidence [against Argentina].

“Of course the Argentines have [Lionel] Messi who can do something crazy, but we have [Arjen] Robben who can do that too.”