WC Qualifying Europe – Midweek Preview

The results of weekend qualifiers and given a new importance to the midweek qualifiers. Here is a run down what these mean to the various teams.

Group 1

Malta v Sweden; Albania v Denmark; Hungary v Portugal

Denmark and Sweden are expected to win their respective matches against the bottom two of the group. Denmark can ensure qualification if the results go their way though in my opinion they would need to wait till the next round to ensure qualification. Sweden can move to second place with a win, if Hungary fail to win their match.

The interesting match up is Hungary v Portugal. Hungary can throw Portugal out of the WC qualification contention with a win which they would themselves need to stay ahead of Sweden in pursuit of that second place. Portugal need to win all their remaining games to have a chance at qualifying but it is a tough ask considering their form and the form of other teams.

My take: Denmark, Hungary and Sweden to win their matches. Portugal will try to win this one and end up losing.

Player to watch: Zlatan Ibrahimovic – scored really late to give Sweden a win over the weekend. More than capable of scoring again to boost Sweden.

Group 2

Israel v Luxembourg; Latvia v Switzerland; Moldova v Greece

If Latvia and Greece win their matches, the two teams would be tied with Switzerland on 16 points and it would be interesting fight to the qualification places. Israel would be expected to beat Luxembourg but qualification seems far away from them considering the forms of other 3 teams. Switzerland can consolidate their first place if they beat Latvia.

My take: Greece and Israel to win, Switzerland and Latvia to draw.

Player to watch: Blaise N Kufo – played every game for Swiss and scored in almost every.

Group 3

Czech Republic v San Marino; Northern Ireland v Slovakia; Slovenia v Poland

Its 2nd v 1st, 4th v 3rd and 5th v 6th in this group. Czech would be expected to beat San Marino and need to as well and would be hoping results elsewhere go their way to stand any chance of qualification. Poland and Slovenia both on same number of points would want to win to come close to second place. Slovakia would want to win to consolidate their first position while Northern Ireland would want that first place and considering that they have played a game more than rest of the contenders, would be desperately looking to beat Slovakia.

My take: Slovakia and Northern Ireland to draw, Poland and Slovenia to draw and Czech to win.

Player to watch: Jonny Evans – was part of the defense that kept Poland’s continuous attacks at bay over the weekend and gave Northern Ireland a crucial draw.

Group 4

Liechtenstein v Finland; Wales v Russia; Germany v Azerbaijan

Russia are within a point of Germany but have a tough trip to Wales. Germany would be expected to win again Azerbaijan who have not won yet in the group. Wales need a miracle to qualify but would really like to spoil the party here which would suit Finland the most who can close in on 2nd place with a win themselves.

My take: Germany, Russia and Finland to win.

Player to watch: Andrei Arshavin – can create from anywhere on the pitch. Would be vital for Russia.

Group 5

Bosnia-Herzegovina v Turkey; Armenia v Belgium; Spain v Estonia

Spain have a perfect record and would be expected to maintain that against 5th placed Estonia. Belgium can qualify only with a miracle like Bosnia losing all their games and other things to add. Bosnia and Turkey would be fighting for the 2nd place. Bosnia are 4 points ahead of Turkey and can throw Turkey out of contention for second place with a win.

My take: Spain, Belgium for wins. Bosnia and Turkey to draw.

Player to watch: Edin Dzeko – Bosnian striker has already scored 7 goals this campaign.

Group 6

England v Croatia; Belarus v Ukraine; Andorra v Kazakhstan

England have a perfect record till now and would want to maintain that. Croatia are 2nd but have played 1 game more than everyone else and with Ukraine just 3 points behind, would be wanting to win this one to consolidate their 2nd place and maybe go for the first place as well. Ukraine, fresh from 5-0 victory, would want to win against Belarus, who themselves have no chance of qualifying, to try and overtake Croatia if they lose. Andorra and Kazakhstan match would not impact the qualification spots.

My take: England, Ukraine to win.

Player to watch: Wayne Rooney – played his part in winning the penalty but more than capable of winning the game for England by right means.

Group 7

Faroe Island v Lithuania; Romania v Austria; Serbia v France

Austria, Romania and Lithuania – all can come close to 2nd place with wins and can hope of taking that spot considering France’s indifferent form. I don’t expect France not to qualify though. Serbia can qualify with a win in this match and wouldn’t they love to do so at France’s expense.

My take: Lithuania to win. Serbia, France, Austria and Romania all to draw.

Player to watch: Frank Ribery – creative midfielder can make or break France’s campaign.

Group 8

Montenegro v Cyprus; Italy v Bulgaria

Result of Cyprus v Montenegro won’t have any impact on the qualification spots but result of Italy v Bulgaria match would. Bulgaria can come within 2 points of Republic of Ireland in 2nd place and 3 points of Italy in first place. Italy, on the other hand, can go 4 points clear in first place and push Bulgaria out of contention for first place.

My take: Draw for Italy and Bulgaria.

Player to watch: Dimitriv Berbatov – Bulgaria need a win and he can certainly provide the goals.

Group 9

Scotland v Netherlands; Norway v Macedonia

Neither of Norway and Macedonia can qualify now. They can at max get a total of 10 points which would be less than all 2nd placed teams of other groups. Scotland are currently on 10 points and have a chance only if they beat Netherlands who, for the record, have a perfect record till now. Even then Scotland would need to improve on their goal difference a lot to qualify for play offs. So both the matches are kind of dead rubber.

My take: Really doesn’t matter.

Player to watch: Entire Netherlands team – its a delight to watch them play.

What are your predictions for the games? Let me know through comments…

United Players on International Duty – Review

Here is how the Manchester United players performed over the weekend.

• Wayne Rooney, Wes Brown, Michael Carrick, Ben Foster
  • England v Slovenia: Wayne Rooney helped England win the controversial penalty against Slovenia in the friendly while Michael Carrick looked impressive in his 2nd half display. Wes Brown and Ben Foster were not used.
• Nani
  • Denmark v Portugal: Nani was used as a late substitute in 1-1 draw – Review
• Patrice Evra
  • France v Romania: Evra played entire 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw – Review
• Jonny Evans
  • Poland v N Ireland – Evans had a good defensive display against continuous Poland attack during the 1-1 draw – Review
• Antonio Valencia
  • Colombia v Ecuador: Only United player to lose this weekend.
• Dimitar Berbatov
  • Bulgaria v Montenegro: Scored a penalty in the 4-1 win – Review
• John O’Shea, Darren Gibson
  • Cyprus v Republic of Ireland – O’Shea played at right back for Republic of Ireland in the 1-2 win while Gibson was not used – Review
• Ji Sung Park
  • Korea v Australia: Captained Korea to a 3-1 win and set up the final goal.
• Darren Fletcher
  • Scotland v Macedonia: Played a good 90 minutes in the 2-0 win – Review
• Ritchie Da Laet
  • Spain v Belgium: Not used in the 5-0 loss – Review
• Federico Macheda
  • U21 Wales v Italy: Came on in the final minutes of the 2-1 loss.
• Tom Cleverly
  • U21 Macedonia v England: Made his debut as a late substitute in the 2-1 victory.

World Cup Qualifying Europe Preview – Part 3

For a preview of Group 1,2,3 go here

For a preview of Group 4,5,6 go here

Group 7

Group 7 includes France, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria, Romania, Faroe Islands. Group leaders Serbia are not playing this weekend.

France v Romania

France are second in the group behind Serbia on 13 points. Their fans have been indifferent to their performances since their poor showing in Austria and Switzerland and therefore France would want to win the trust of their fans with impressive showings. Their previous meeting with Romania was a 2-2 draw. Romania would want to leapfrog Lithuania with a win who are not playing this weekend.

Key Players:

• Franck Ribery (France): The in demand playmaker with a hefty price tag. Has the ability to change the game with one flick.
• Adrian Mutu  (Romania): Striker with amazing skills. More than capable of causing trouble for French defenders.

Austria v Faroe Islands

Austria are sitting 4th and would be hoping to leapfrog Lithuania in 3rd place with a win against Faroe Islands who have just 1 point from 6 games which actually came against Austria.

Key Players:

• Defence (Austria): They have conceded in every game they have played in this qualifying campaign.

Group 8

Group 8 includes Italy, Republic of Ireland, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Montenegro and Georgia. Its top 3 playing against bottom 3 in this group.

Georgia v Italy

Italy sit top and are yet to lose while Georgia sit bottom and are yet to win. Italy have won 4 and Georgia have lost 4. Italy have scored 9 goals and Georgia have conceded 9 goals. Seems like Georgia are bent on matching Italy for everything just that in opposite direction.

Key Players:

• Team (Italy): There is talent everywhere on the pitch and anyone can change the game on their day.

Cyprus v Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland are 2nd in the group with 13 points. They are among the 3 unbeaten teams in this group and would want to push Italy for first spot with a win against Cyprus. They have previously beaten them 1-0 at home. Cyprus have just 1 win from 6 games and that too against Georgia.

Key Players:

• Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland): Currently playing with Tottenham Hotspur and prolific in front of goal, has already scored 4 times.

Bulgaria v Montenegro

Bulgaria are another unbeaten team in this group (Does anybody lose in this group???) but they have won only 1 of their 6 games. They have a low scoring return of only 6 goals in 6 games. Montenegro are one of the winless teams in this group (3 teams with no losses, 2 teams with no wins…phew…what a group).

Key Players:

• Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria): Manchester United striker is off form but has really tricky feet.

Group 9

Group 9 includes Netherlands, Scotland, Norway, Iceland and Macedonia. Netherlands have already qualified and will not be playing this weekend.

Scotland v Macedonia

Both teams have a lot in common. 2 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses, 7 points after scoring 4 goals each. Only difference is that Macedonia have conceded 7 while Scotland have conceded 10 which gives Scotland 3rd position in the group against Macedonia’s 2nd. Its a chance for both teams to consolidate second position since play offs are the only shot left at world cup qualification in this group.

Key Players:

• Darren Fletcher (Scotland): Impressing for Manchester United this season, it would be interesting to see how he performs for Scotland.

Iceland v Norway

Bottom of the table clash with 5th v 4th. Norway are on 6 points and a win coupled with a draw in the other game can see them leapfrog to 2nd position while a win with a result in the other game would give them 3rd position but close to 2nd place with a difference of 1 point.

A win for Iceland with a win for Macedonia would shoot them to 3rd place while any other result in the other match would give them 4th place provided they win.

A draw suits neither of them. Should be an interesting match.

Key Players:

• Eidur Gudjohnson (Iceland): Top scorer for them and more than capable of scoring more goals.
• John Carew (Norway): Yet to score this qualifying campaign but definitely due one.

This finishes the three part preview of the European World Cup weekend Qualifiers. I am very tempted to preview the midweek qualifiers as well but would wait till the results of the weekend are out to see if there are any changes in the tables.

Chelsea hit by signings ban

This came as a sudden shock to me this morning.

FIFA has forbidden Chelsea from participating in the next two transfer windows. This means they cannot sell any of their players and more importantly cannot buy any more players till 2011. How serious an impact this would have on their challenges for Premier League and Champions League? But what did they do to get such a punishment.

In 2007, Chelsea signed a French midfielder Gael Kakuta who was playing for Lens youth team. Now, many English teams sign youth players from foreign clubs, whats wrong in that. Gael Kakuta was under a contract at Lens and therefore were entitled a transfer fee which Chelsea didn’t pay. Ok, so why doesn’t a tribunal just decide the transfer fee and Lens gets paid. Here is the catch. Chelsea actually induced Gael Kakuta to break his contract with Lens and join Chelsea. Now that is something nobody will like. Its like I buy a car, keep it for a year or so, add various accessories to it and then a random guy comes in and takes it away without paying me anything. That would be called stealing in normal cases. And therefore the punishment for the thief.

Chelsea have also been fined €130,000 and have ten days to appeal which I am sure they would.

Gael Kakuta has also been fined €780,000 and has been banned from playing for the next 4 months.

Chelsea were previously fined for Ashley Cole tap up but this is very different from a tap up. When you tap a player, your intention is to make him move to your club for a transfer fee which is completely different from what happened in this situation.

Roma faced a similar punishment for transfer of Philippe Mexes from Auxerre. Their ban was reduced to one transfer window after appeal and they were forced to pay 7 million euros in compensation.

Manchester United are facing a similar case from Le Harve for their capture of the French youngster Paul Pogba. But I guess he was signed before he was 16 and he was not contracted to Le Harve.

World Cup Qualifying Europe Preview – Part 2

For a preview of Group 1,2,3 go here

Group 4

Group 4 includes Germany, Russia, Wales, Finland, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein. Germany and Wales are not playing this weekend.

Russia v Liechtenstein

Russia are currently second in the group behind Germany. They have been winners against everyone in the group except Germany. They have scored 12 goals and conceded only 3. If they win this game, they would be within a point of Germany.

Liechtenstein are lying bottom of the group with just 1 point and at best can overtake Azerbaijan in the group. They are the whipping boys in the group with the highest number in the goals conceded column.

This should be a mouth watering clash for Russia who would look to improve their goal difference even further.

Key Players:

• Andrei Arshavin (Russia): The Russian captain is a diminutive midfielder and moves like a rat and can be a trouble for any defence in the world.

Azerbaijan v Finland

Azerbaijan are just above Liechtenstein on goal difference and should not cause much trouble for Finland who are currently in third place 1 point above Wales. Finland would be looking at this fixture as a chance to improve their negative goal difference.

Key Players:

• Mikael Forsell (Finland): Former Chelsea striker has played every game till now and should score a couple of goals to keep Finland challenge alive.

Group 5

Group 5 includes Spain, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Belgium, Estonia, Armenia and will test Spain’s perfect record this weekend.

Spain v Belgium

Spain are siting comfortably on top of the group with 6 wins out of 6 conceding only 2 goals in the process. They have scored 13 goals till now. They have among the meanest defences in entire Europe.

Belgium are lying 4th in the table with 7 points. They have scored 10 goals but have also conceded 11.  They need to close in on Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina soon to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the world cup.

Key Players:

• Spain: Take your pick. There is talent everywhere on the pitch. All players have the ability to practically rip apart the opposition.
• Wesley Sonck (Belgium): With 6 goals in 6 games he is Belgium’s top goal scorer in this qualifying campaign but it would be tough to break down Spanish defence.

Armenia v Bosnia-Herzegovina

Armenia are bottom of the group and have not won a single game till now. They have conceded 15 goals till now and this should be a damage limitation exercise for them.

Bosnia-Herzegovina are second in the group with 4 wins and 2 losses. They would be looking to consolidate their second place since Spain look invincible. They are the top scorers in the group and should look to improve that column as well.

Key Players:

• Edin Dzeko (Bosnia-Herzegovina): Wolfsburg striker was a hot property last season helping them to Bundesliga title. He has already netted 7 times during this qualifying campaign.

Turkey v Estonia

Another of those whipping boys clash for Turkey. 8 points from 6 games is not a return Turkey fans would be happy with and they would expect a statement be made through this clash so that they stay in hunt for second place. Estonia at max would be hoping for low scoring game.

Key Players:

• Turkey: No single players has stood out this qualifying campaign and someone needs to stand up and make his presence felt.

Group 6

Group 6 features England, Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra. England – group leaders and top scorers are not playing this weekend.

Ukraine v Andorra

Ukraine are currently third and within touching distance of Croatia. They are against an Andorra team which has conceded 25 goals till now. They should be looking at vastly improving their goal difference.

Key Player:

• Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine): Was out of favor at Chelsea but no one can doubt his class. A proven goal scorer.

Croatia v Belarus

Croatia go into this game sitting 2nd in the group way behind England. With Ukraine lurking behind, they would want to win this one to consolidate on second place. Injuries are taking their tole on Croatia though with Luka Modric out injured. Belarus need to win this to have a realistic chance of qualifying. The previous meeting between these two resulted in Croatian win.

Key Players:

• Eduardo (Croatia): Arsenal striker would be the key being fresh from scoring against Celtic in the Champions League.
• Aleksandr Hleb (Belarus): Former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder has found playing time again with move to Stuttgart and would relish performing on big stage as well.

World Cup Qualifying Europe Preview – Part 1

Group 1

Group 1 includes Denmark, Hungary, Portugal, Sweden, Albania and Malta and has couple of really interesting match ups lined up. The top 4 teams are facing each other over the weekend.

Denmark v Portugal

Denmark are currently sitting on top of Group 1 with 16 points and are on a 5 match winning streak which includes beating the likes of Portugal and Sweden. They have scored 13 goals and conceded only 2.

Portugal on the other hand are lying 3rd with 9 point. They have won only 2 of their 6 games with 1 loss being against Denmark at home. They have had three 0-0 draws which clearly shows for their lack of firepower upfront even though they have likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (who I feel will be a big flop at Madrid), Deco etc in their ranks.

With just 4 matches left and Portugal playing Denmark and Hungary (top 2) three times, it is very important for them to win these games else they are in serious danger of missing out on world cup qualification. Denmark on the other hand would want to continue their winning form and try to secure qualification as soon as possible.

Key Players:

• Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – can change the entire game with one flash of brilliance. Needs to fire to get Portugal going.
• Tomas Sorenson (Denmark) – can shut out best attackers on his day.

Hungary v Sweden

This is 2nd v 4th in the group. Hungary are on 13 points with 4 wins while Sweden are on 9 points with just 2 wins. Sweden too like Portugal have had three 0-0 draws.

Hungary are on a 4 match winning streak but their only loss of the qualifiers was against Sweden. They have a very good chance of qualifying at the expense of Portugal and Sweden and would relish this opportunity. Sweden on the other hand are in same situation as Portugal and need to find their winning touch again.

Key Players:

• Henrik Larsson (Sweden): Among the best strikers in the world. If he fires there barely anyone who can stop him.
• Zlatan Ibrahamovic (Sweden): Highly over-rated in my opinion but can cause trouble for opposition.

Group 2

Group 2 includes Greece, Switzerland, Latvia, Israel, Luzembourg and Moltova and have a top of the table clash this weekend.

Switzerland v Greece

Greece are top of the group just ahead of Switzerland on goal difference. Both teams have won 4 games and drawn 1 and lost 1 with Switzerland getting the better of Greece away from home. Both teams are close to qualifying but with Latvia and Israel not far away in terms of points, both of them would want to secure it at the earliest. Switzerland have a chance to go top if they win this one.

Key Players:

• Angelos Charisteas (Greece): Current top scorer for Greece in this qualifying campaign.
• Blaise N Kufo (Switzerland): Current top scorer for Switzerland in this qualifying campaign and has scored in almost every match Swiss have played.

Israel v Latvia

This is 3rd v 4th. Previous encounter between these two finished in a 1-1 draw. Israel are just 1 point behind Latvia in the group and have the incentive of leapfrogging them if they win this one and if the Switzerland v Greece match has a winner, they can actually come very close to the second placed team (loser of the other game).

Key Players:

• Yossi Benayoun (Israel): Currently playing with Liverpool, had the creativity to unlock the meanest defences in the game.

Group 3

Group 3 includes Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Poland, Czech Republic and San Marino and has a mouth watering fixture with Czech visiting Slovakia.

Slovakia v Czech Republic

Slovakia sit at the top of this group with 5 wins out of 6, only loss being against Slovenia. Other than that they have beaten every other team in the group including the Czechs at their home and scored an amazing 17 goals. Czechs on the other hand have had an indifferent campaign till now with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses and scoring only 6 goals. They are currently lying 5th with 8 points just above San Marino and in serious danger of losing out on qualification. No single Czech player has scored more than one goal which would be a serious concern for their fans.

Key Players:

• Slovakia: Entire team since there 17 goals are spread out through the entire team.
• Petr Cech (Czech): The Chelsea goalkeeper needs to be at his best to help Czech win this game.

Poland v Northern Ireland

Its 4th v 2nd with Poland having a game in hand over Northern Ireland. Poland are the current top scorers of the group and are fresh from scoring 10 against San Marino. Both teams have won their previous qualifier fixtures. Poland have an incentive of replacing Northern Ireland at second place in the group if they win this one since they already have a better goal difference.

Key Players:

• Poland: Like Slovakia their 18 goals are spread across entire team with Edi Ebi Smolarek being their top scorer.
• Jonny Evans (Northern Ireland): I am not sure if he is fit enough to play but if he plays, his defensive skills could be the deciding factor in the match.