Argentina – D. Passarella: “The Netherlands team are now likely candidates for the final victory”

Comments made in MARSEILLE:

Regarding the physical state of the players:

“With regard to BERTI (16) and SENSINI (6), I’ll speak tomorrow with the medical staff to see whether we should put them in the line-up. As for ORTEGA (10) who suffered cramps when playing against ENGLAND, he should normally be in good shape physically.

Overall, I can’t say whether the team has recovered from the effort needed to beat ENGLAND, but I think these 72 hours’ rest have allowed everybody to get back on their feet.”

Regarding the NETHERLANDS team:

“This match will be very difficult physically. I think that of the eight teams that qualified for the quarter finals, we had the hardest task against ENGLAND in the previous round.

The NETHERLANDS team are now likely candidates for the final victory. I’ve often played against them on the pitch. They’ve always been very good, spectacular matches, notably for the Final of the World Cup 1978 in ARGENTINA. The successive NETHERLANDS teams have always had a little South American touch in their game and it’s true I appreciate their style.”