Football
ESPN staff 10y

Van Gaal: Van Persie due to play

Netherlands captain and all-time top scorer Robin van Persie, who was suffering from stomach complaints during Tuesday's practice, is expected to play in the World Cup semifinal against Argentina, according to ESPN's Jeremy Schaap.

Coach Louis van Gaal said "he expects Robin van Persie to play," Schaap said on Wednesday.

The Manchester United striker and defender Daryl Janmaat -- who also has stomach problems -- trained separately from the Dutch team on Tuesday.

Van Persie scored three times in the first two Dutch matches of the World Cup, including a spectacular diving header against defending champions Spain that was instantly hailed as one of the goals of the tournament.

But he has struggled to hit the same rich vein of form since being suspended for Netherlands' last Group B match after picking up two yellow cards.

Against Argentina, the prolific striker is looking to break a remarkable drought for a player of his calibre -- he has never scored a non-penalty in the knockout stage of a major tournament. Van Gaal told Schaap that he doesn't expect midfield enforcer Nigel de Jong to play on Wednesday.

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