World Cup Qualifying Preview Part 2: Europe
The Football Blog continues its look at the teams still harbouring ambitions of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup, with a preview of three of the four European play-off games. We’ll be looking at the Republic of Ireland vs France in depth tomorrow, but in the mean time here is what you can expect from the other games.
Greece vs. Ukraine
Otherwise known as the game you don’t want to watch, Greece against Ukraine is the game that pits the worst seeded team against the best un-seeded team. Theoretically, that ought to make this play-off incredibly close, the most difficult and interesting to predict. However, we all know that Ukraine will win.
Greece, still dining out on their Euro 2004 triumph, stumbled unconvincingly to second place in their group, behind the mighty Switzerland, drawing with Moldova on the way. They’re still managed by Otto Rehhagel, who master-minded their extremely unlikely 2004 victory, but that result looks more and more like a fluke. The organisation of the side remains strong, but a return to more attacking football in more fluid formations has rendered Greece all too beatable.
Ukraine, meanwhile, proved their quality by beating an England (although they had already qualified), and eventually finished ahead of a rather good Croatia side. They also have talented players like Shevchenko, Bayern’s Anatoliy Tymoschuk, and Barcelona’s €25m defender Dmytro Chyhrynskiy. Greece have got Georgios Samaras.
Football Blog prediction:
Ukraine are going to win, but it will be exceptionally dull. Ukraine will then be reliably dull in South Africa and go out in the second round on penalties.
Portugal vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina
The cruellest game created by FIFA’s last minute decision to make as much money as possible seed the play-offs, this match-up pits the laziest, most feckless of the seeds against the pluckiest of the un-seeded teams.
Bosnia-Herzegovina were put in a group with Belgium, Turkey and Spain. This basically meant that it was nigh-on impossible for them to win the group, but they brilliantly kept up the pressure on Spain and beat Belgium home and away, before holding Turkey to a draw to all but secure their play-off spot.
By contrast, Portugal got themselves into this situation by drawing 0-0 three times in a row early on in qualifying, including once against Albania. Nevertheless, even if Portugal raise their game (as they did for their last few games), Bosnia have still got a good chance.
They’re coached by the wily, if eccentric, Ciro Blazevic, who guided Croatia to 3rd in 1998, and have several quality attacking players from the Bundesliga, with Dzeko and Misimovic of champions Wolfsburg, and Ibisevic (18 goals in 17 last season) and Salihovic of Hoffenheim, whom the latter captains. Even better, Portugal won’t have Cristiano Ronaldo, but will be playing Nani.
Football Blog prediction:
In qualification, Portugal have looked bereft of ideas without Ronaldo and in general, look like a team in transition, incapable of functioning as a team. Bosnia-Herzegovina, however, have the required hunger to qualify for their first ever major tournament, and their bold attacking style could upset a shaky Portuguese side.
It’s still a toss-up though, as to who will win, but I’m backing Bosnia-Herzegovina. It’s difficult to say how well they’d do at the World Cup, but they’ll undoubtedly be more exciting than Portugal would be.
Russia vs. Slovenia
Plucky Slovenia are matched up against Guus Hiddink’s evermore fearsome Russian side that only narrowly missed out on automatic qualification, succumbing to an even more ruthless German side.
Hiddink is a master tactician and has players of the quality of Arshavin, Zhirkov, Stuttgart’s Pogrebnyak, and everyone’s new favourite goalkeeper, Akinfeev at his disposal. Impressive at Euro 2008, Russia look set to continue their return to their place as a major footballing power.
Slovenia have done incredibly well, considering it has a population of only 2 million people and finished above Poland and Czech Republic, but this, despite previous play-off upsets against Romania and Ukraine, is almost certainly a bridge too far.
Football Blog prediction:
Russia will, barring a miracle, beat Slovenia with ease. They will then almost certainly make the quarter finals at the World Cup and have more than an outside shout of winning the tournament.
Shane Murray
