England have already won Group 6 and still have a 100% record. They play Ukraine in Dnepropetrovsk. Not an easy task given the climate, and the fact that in England's last meeting against Ukraine in Wembley only a last minute John Terry goal secured a 2-1 win. On the other hand, Fabio Capello will be picking his strongest line-up for Saturday's match.
I predict a narrow England 2-1 win, but I think it will be a tough match so we should not be too surprised with a low scoring draw. Naturally, Croatia will be hoping for an England win or draw to keep their hopes of finishing second alive. Ukraine and Croatia are in a two-way fight for second, with Croatia ahead in second. England's next game on Wednesday is at home to Belarus which will surely be a comfortable England win.
The Ukraine v England match will not be shown on any TV channel but will be broadcast exclusively on the Internet, on http://www.ukrainevengland.com (a Perform Group website). The cost of watching the game will was £4.99 (€5.43) for a live pass which expired on Wednesday 7th October. As of Thursday 8th October the cost has risen to £9.99 (€10.88), going up to £11.99 (€13.05) on Saturday itself. This game can also be watched in Odeon Cinemas as well as online. The decision to broadcast exclusively on the internet has angered many fans, especially those who want to watch the game on TV. I would be interested to know your views on this match being only available on the internet or cinema.
In Group 4, the Russia v Germany match in Moscow on Saturday is a crunch match, Russia have to win to have a chance of finishing top and automatically qualifying, Germany only need a draw to remain top. My prediction for Russia v Germany is a 1-1 draw.
In Group 1, Saturday's match between Denmark and Sweden is also a crunch game, not just because of the local rivalry, but because Denmark can clinch automatic qualification by winning and Sweden have to win to keep their hopes for automatic qualification. Portugal play Hungary on Saturday and then Malta on Wednesday, and must win both to maintain any hope of qualifying, and hope other results go their way. Hungary are also in with a slim chance of qualifying as runners-up, and must beat Portugal away and then group leaders Denmark away, a really tough task.
In the other groups, In Group 2 Switzerland top the group and are slight favourites for automatic qualification, with Greece and Latvia in with a chance of second place. In Group 5, already qualified Spain have a chance of finishing their group with a 100% record, and Bosnia-Herzegovina look in a strong position to reach the playoffs. In Group 3 which Slovakia have won, second place is being contested by Slovenia, Czech Republic and Northern Ireland. In Group 6, Italy are favourites for automatic qualification and the Republic of Ireland are favourites to secure a playoff place. In Group 9, which Netherlands has won with a 100% record, Norway are second, but I think it is unlikely that they have got enough points to secure a playoff place. Only the best 8 runners up reach the playoffs.
For more details on the fixtures in Europe, the permutations, and what each of the teams need to do to qualify, please click here.
In South America, Argentina have to beat Peru on Saturday, which surely they will, even with their poor recent form, but then they are away to Uruguay which will be very crucial match. Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador are in battle for especially the fourth spot (the last automatic spot), and also for fifth spot which is the playoff spot. It is very tight for fourth and fifth, whereas Chile look safe in third and only have to get good results in either Saturday's game to be the third South American team to qualify. There is speculation about Maradona resigning as Argentina boss, which Maradona himself denies.
In the final qualifying group for the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean), Mexico and the United States will probably qualify automatically. United States are currently first, followed by Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica, in that order. Only one of Honduras or Costa Rica might qualify in third place, with the fourth placed team playing the fifth placed South American team in a two-legged playoff next month. The Honduras v USA game on Saturday, and USA v Costa Rica matches will be crucial matches for both Honduras and Costa Rica.
In Africa we could see the Côte d'Ivoire qualify on Saturday, joining hosts South Africa and already qualified Ghana. Cameroon, Gabon, Algeria, and African champions Egypt, with Cameroon and Algeria leading their respective groups. In Africa, other than South Africa only the five Group winners qualify. As mentioned earlier, the African qualifying groups will conclude in November.
Whereas in Asia and Oceania, the qualifying matches for these continental zones are already complete. We know the four automatic qualifiers from Asia as the qualifying matches there are already complete. We also know that New Zealand, the winners of the Oceania qualifying section, will play Bahrain, the fifth-placed team from Asia, in the Asia-Oceania intercontinental playoff for a place in the World Cup, the first leg of which is on Saturday.
It is still too early to talk about winners, but I would still put Spain and Brazil as my top two favourites respectively, and possibly England as third favourites based on form in competitive matches. The question is whether we will see Argentina and Portugal in the World Cup, because both teams are in danger of missing out of the World Cup, especially Portugal. After the weekend and midweek next week, we will know most of the teams who will be taking part in the World Cup.
Further information:
- World Cup 2010 qualifying latest results - all continental zones
- Europe (UEFA) qualifying standings
- South America (CONMEBOL) qualifying standings
- North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) qualifying standings
- Asia (AFC) qualifying standings
- Africa (CAF) qualifying standings
- Oceania (OFC) qualifying standings
I think internet only is a terrible idea! The option should be there but it seems silly and just a way to get more money out of fans....
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