Right now, the official word from the Dutch camp is that star striker and captain Robin van Persie is a “doubt.” The forward has been battling a stomach illness since his team’s penalty victory of Costa Rica in the quarterfinals on July 5. Dutch coach Louis van Gaal told the media:
I will decide (on Wednesday). Van Persie is our captain so he is very important to us. In principle my captain always plays, but he has to be fit.
Netherlands plays Argentina in the second World Cup semifinal at 4 p.m. Eastern time live on ESPN at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo. The winner will play Germany in the World Cup final in the Maracana on Sunday July 13 at 4 p.m. Eastern time.
There’s been no word from RVP on his official Twitter, his last tweet was a celebratory one after he scored in a penalty shootout victory over Costa Rica:
So proud of this team!! Game by game FOCUS
#Oranje pic.twitter.com/3D8c6DqR7E
— Robin van Persie (@Persie_Official) July 6, 2014
The Guardian reports that it’s “hinted” that RVP will play in the game, adding that the Netherlands may play a 5-3-2 formation.