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Messi dancing through the Australian defense, Mbappe delivering yet another masterclass and Neymar scoring and assisting against South Korea. This is what the World Cup is all about. Big players stepping up when it matters most. We have four games this round to talk about. Let’s get into it.

Argentina vs. Netherlands (Dec. 9th, 2 p.m. ET)

Two countries with an illustrious footballing history. In fact Argentina faced the OnsOranje in the 1978 Final where they won on penalties in Buenos Aires. After beating Australia in an intense game, Lionel Messi & Co. will have to gear up for a much stronger Netherlands team. La Albiceleste started off the tournament with a very surprising defeat to Saudi Arabia, but since then they have won three straight. Netherlands had a slightly different journey to the quarterfinals. The OnsOranje defeated Senegal in their first match, drew against Ecuador and then finished their group stage journey by beating Qatar on match day three. A massive part of this team, led by captain Virgil van Dijk, has been their impressive defense. Through four games they have only allowed two goals (one vs. Ecuador and one vs. USA). The back three of Timber, Aké and van Dijk have been a stone wall for this Dutch team. This will be their toughest test yet, but I think both teams are evenly matched. Throughout this tournament Argentina has seemed stagnant in the attack at times, they will need to be on a different level if they want to book a spot in the semi-final.

Prediction: Netherlands 2, Argentina 1

England vs. France (Dec. 10th, 2 p.m. ET)

It’s unfortunate that we have to see this matchup in a quarterfinal and not in a semifinal. Both teams have an abundance of quality and it has showed throughout the tournament. Les Blues, through four matches, have scored 2+ goals three times. The only time they didn’t is when they lost 1-0 to Tunisia while playing a massively rotated side that was without Mbappe, Dembélé and several other starters. England on the other hand, have not lost a single game at this tournament and have only conceded two goals in four games (both goals came from England’s first match). While both sides are loaded with talent, there is one player that rises above the rest. His name is Kylian Mbappe. The PSG superstar has had his way with any opponent in Qatar, scoring five goals and assisting on two more. He passed Cristiano Ronaldo on the all-time scoring list in the World Cup… in his second tournament. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Three Lions and I want them to win. I have a lot of personal connections with many players on the squad. To see Jordan Henderson score against Senegal last game was beautiful. I was at work and watching on my computer in the control room and I literally ran out of the room in celebration. I just don’t know if anyone on the planet can truly stop Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembélé on the wings.

Prediction: France 3, England 2

Croatia vs. Brazil (Dec. 9th, 10 a.m. ET)

Two class sides will battle it out in the first match of the quarterfinals. However, both teams are coming from completely different routes. Croatia barely made it out of their group, winning one game (Canada) and drawing the other two (Morocco & Belgium). Brazil on the other hand have been flying through the competition. Despite Neymar’s injury in the first match of the group stage, they were still able to secure a place in the knockout rounds after only the second match. They lost to Cameroon in their last game with a rotated side, but A Seleção would go on to thrash South Korea 4-1 in the Round of 16. Croatia, in their knockout game, faced an upstart Japanese team that beat both Spain and Germany in their group stage matches. The game finished 1-1 after extra-time and the Croatians once again faced another penalty shootout. A heroic performance by keeper Dominik Livaković saw the Croatian’s heading to the next round. In their journey to the 2018 World Cup Final, the Croatians won their first two knockout stage games in penalties and then defeated England in extra-time in the semifinal. So what will it be? Will the Brazilian flair overcome the toughness and grit of this Luka Modrić-led Croatian team. I guess we’ll find out Friday morning.

Prediction: Brazil 3, Croatia 1

Portugal vs. Morocco (Dec. 10th, 10 a.m. ET)

First of all I want to say how truly proud I am of this Moroccan team and how they’ve fought. Walid Regragui has brought the team together wonderfully and they’ve been clicking on all cylinders. One player I want to highlight is Sofyan Amrabat. He is diving into every tackle, excelling in hold up play and absolutely bossing the midfield in every match he’s played in. It’s incredible to watch. On the other side, Portugal is coming off a monstrous 6-1 victory over Switzerland. The headline of the match? They did it with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. And his replacement, Gonçalo Ramos, went and scored a damn hat-trick. Absolute madness. So here we have two teams that have two completely different strengths. Through four matches the Atlas Lions have yet to allow a goal by an opponent and Portugal have scored 12 goals through four matches. A matchup that will have the whole continent of African praying for another Moroccan upset. They have the chance to become the first-ever African team to make a semifinal in a World Cup. Let’s see what will happen.

Prediction: Morocco 1, Portugal 1 (Morocco wins 4-2 on penalties)

What do I look like not picking my home country after the effort I saw them put on the pitch today? I’ve been enjoying this tournament like no other. I just want to highlight the fact that I went 8/8 in my Round of 16 predictions. Go check the stats. Y’all gotta trust YSN. Anyways, let’s try to get through these next two days without World Cup football. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.