Holland and Brazil will provide us with a headline act of a Quarter-Final after both sides progressed with apparent ease from their second round ties.

The Dutch were tested on occasions by the Slovakians but once again weren’t required to shift through the gears before overwhelming their opponents. The same could be said of Brazil, who like Holland, are being lambasted back home for failing to match the brand of football woven by heroes of the past. Even so both Holland and particularly Brazil, look to have some of the most solid defensive foundations in the tournament coupled with attacking players that are capable of dismantling opponents…

Arjen Robben made his first start of the tournament following his appearance from the bench against Cameroon. He more than demonstrated his ability and fantasy potential with a typical display of pace and trickery, capped with a template goal from his repertoire. Robben received Wesley Sneijder’s searching long ball to run at the Slovakian defence before cutting in from the flank to hammer low past Jan Mucha in goal. The Bayern man followed that up with another goal-bound effort in the second-half, denied only by a fine one-handed stop from the new Everton keeper. Robben could also have earned an assist had Mucha not kept Sneijder’s point-blank effort out. The Inter creator wasn’t to be denied though, slotting home Dirk Kuyt’s centre late on to give the Dutch a two-goal cushion before Vittek’s late spot-kick robbed the Dutch and us Fantasy Managers of yet another clean sheet.

Once again then the focus from this match was on the array of attacking talent on show and it was Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben who caught the eye. Together with Robin Van Persie, who is still yet to catch fire, they are without question a major threat and a superb source of Fantasy points. While Sneijder is now the top ranked midfielder in the McFIFA game, Robben has just arrived but is already scoring at a rate that warrants his price tag as an option up front. The only caveat is of course their future in the tournament given their quarter-final opposition.

Brazil disposed of South American rivals Chile with another display of defensive efficiency, sprinkled with a healthy does of explosive attacking intent. While the likes of Maicon, Michel Bastos and Juan boosted their rankings with clean sheets, bonus points and, in the case of the latter, a first goal of the tournament, the players in front of them continued to fetch returns for their Fantasy owners. Robinho and Luis Fabiano notched a goal apiece, while Kaka earned his third assist of the tournament. The attacking bonus failed to materialise however and left the Brazilians with modest tallies considering the margin of victory.

As a side note Ramires, who set up Robinho’s third goal with a superb burst from midfield, will miss the Quarter-Final after picking up a booking here. That will presumably open the way for Felipe Melo to return to the side should he be able to prove his fitness after missing this game following a clash with Portugal’s Pepe. The Fantasy-fancied Elano also failed to regain fitness for last night’s clash and his place looks far more at risk given the performance of Dani Alves who impressed on the right-flank. He could now be well worth a punt given Brazil’s defensive resolve. While the Dutch clearly have the weapons to stretch Brazil’s rearguard, there’s no doubt that Maicon, Bastos and Alves have more than enough about them in attacking terms to reap further points hauls.