Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal has suggested that Lionel Messi will be feeling the pressure to deliver in Wednesday's semi-final in Sao Paulo.

Despite conceding that his side will have to be wary of the threat posed by the Argentina forward, Van Gaal believes that the 27-year-old has sometimes struggled to produce his best form on the biggest stage.

"We are playing against Argentina," the 62-year-old told reporters. "We're preparing a strategy for a team, not individual players, so I'll be ready for Argentina and their players.

"Messi has been elected the best player in the world. There's a reason for that. If you score so many goals, you have an added value, but on the most important stage, he hasn't always pulled it off.

"He's always found it difficult to do that at international level and he wants to change that at this tournament."

Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij has claimed that he is relishing the prospect of taking on Messi.

Written by
Callum Mulvihill