World Cup 2010 Group E previews

Holland vs Cameroon
The Netherlands will look to follow up their seamless progress to the last 16 with a commanding performance against already out-of-contention Cameroon in their final Group E match today.

.The Netherlands will be keen to avoid a repeat of 2006 and Euro 2008, when then-coach Marco van Basten fielded weakened sides in their final group matches and then suffered defeat in the first knock-out round. Coach Bert van Marwijk has spoken of the importance of the team finding their rhythm and has resisted the temptation to change around his team for the final game, meaning Arjen Robben will have to wait to make his first appearance at the 2010 tournament.

Cameroon has nothing to play for but pride after defeats by Japan and Denmark. The Indomitable Lions have been a huge disappointment in South Africa. Coach Paul Le Guen has been widely criticised over team selection and tactics, with some of his own players questioning his wisdom. This game could be his last in charge, with reports in Australia suggesting he is favourite to take over the Socceroos job from Pim Verbeek after the tournament.

The Netherlands will be hoping that their team can find the much sought after rhythm which has been missing in their two group games to date. They may have won both games with somewhat ease but the only criticism of the Netherlands' clinical wins over Denmark and Japan has been that their performances have lacked their usual dose of entertainment value. With Arjen Robben expected to appear at some stage there is hope that he will be the catalyst for the entertaining football Holland are known for and bring them far in the tournament.

Prediction: Holland 3-0 Cameroon

Denmark vs Japan
Progress for Japan would be a remarkable achievement. Okada's side came into the tournament on their worst run of form for 12 years, but stunned Cameroon in their opening match and were impressive in defeat against the Netherlands.

The Japanese side is built on a solid defence, with centre-backs Yuji Nakazawa and Marcus Tulio Tanaka in commanding form thus far. CSKA Moscow's Keisuke Honda has been their key man and a talismanic presence - Japan have won all five matches in which he has scored, keeping a clean sheet in all of them. If they are to progress to the round of 16 they will need him to hit the net again today.

Denmark has been unimpressive so far, and were on the brink of being eliminated from the tournament in the match against Cameroon, going a goal down before Nicklas Bendtner and Dennis Rommedahl hit back. The Danes have never failed to reach the second round in four previous attempts. No doubt they will be aiming to use their height advantage to beat the Japanese. 14 of the Danish squad stand over 6ft tall while only 6 of the Japanese squad are that tall.

Both teams will have the belief in themselves to reach the second round and face Paraguay. With Italy having been knocked out earlier today both of these teams might even believe they can go far as Paraguay wont fill them with fear. I think Denmark’s history and experience at this stage of the World Cup should see them through.

Prediction: Denmark 2-1 Japan

All-Ireland championship preview

Sligo vs Mayo, CSFC quarter-final, Markievicz Park (Sligo)
Mayo have a large number of injuries heading into their quarter-final clash with Sligo as Aiden Kilcoyne is definitely out and there are serious concerns over the availability of Alan Dillon and Trevor Howley. The loss of these three players would be felt by any county in Ireland but Mayo has a strong enough squad to deal with the problem.

Seamus O’Shea, Chris Barrett, Alan Freeman and Enda Varley all come in for their championship debuts after impressing during the league. These players will no doubt be looking to impress against the Yeats County and keep their places further down the line. With players like Aiden O’Shea and Pat Harte breathing down their necks a big performance will be needed.

There will be contrasting morale in the two camps as the Mayo players are still down following their annihilation in the league final against Cork, whereas Sligo won their second NFL title in a row when they defeated Antrim at Croke Park.

The Yeats County have made great strides under Kevin Walsh and this is a big year for them. Home advantage and a big crowd behind them should benefit them. If they are to defeat the defending Connaught champions, then belief could be the key to their success. Just as it was in 2007.

Mayo has an abundance of quality at their disposal but has constantly failed to deliver in big games. In the past ten years alone they have only beaten Tyrone and Dublin in a big championship game. I discount Fermanagh (2004 semi-final) as they are not All-Ireland contenders.

Saturday's game may not be considered a 'big game' in some quarters, but a determined Sligo has the capability to pull off the shock of the weekend. However, with players such as Conor Mortimer, Ronan McGarrity, and Andy Moran Mayo have more than enough quality to see of their neighbours and set up another championship meeting against Galway.

Verdict: Mayo by 5

Kerry vs Cork, MSFC semi-final, Killarney
This is possibly the first of a few meetings between these sides this summer,if the last number of years are anything to go by.

Kerry are undoubtedly a team in transition, but any team in transition who can call on five All-Ireland winners as replacements cannot be doing too bad. The one thing that must be asked though is, after so much All-Ireland success over the last decade, does Kerry care for the Munster championship? They went the qualifying route last year and we all know how that turned out and in the All-Ireland, they proved, no matter how much they are written off, that they are the best in the country.

The loss of five key players this year was not highlighted in the comfortable first round win over Tipperary, but it certainly will against Cork.

Cork's physicality is one of their main strengths and the return of Pearse O'Neill is a major plus as too is Colm O'Neill's return to the side.

The midfield diamond area could be the winning or losing of this game for either team and Cork are definitely stronger in that area. With Galvin missing and Mike McCarthy a doubt Cork will be expected to run riot over Kerry in this area. Michael Quirke's mobility in the middle of the park is still questionable also.

It remains to be seen if Graham Canty starts; his inclusion would be massive boost to the Leesiders, but regardless they should have enough firepower to see off Kerry's challenge. Whether or not that can be said later in the championship is a debate for another day.

Verdict: Cork by 4

Waterford vs Limerick, MSFC semi-final, Fraher Field (Dungarvan)
This is a repeat of the division four final that Limerick won by a narrow margin. There is not much to separate these sides this year. Waterford has improved immensely over the past few years and will be looking to become third best in Munster ahead of Limerick and Tipperary.

Limerick will go into the match as favourites and justifiably as they are an experienced outfit, who know what it takes to reach a provincial final. Their ability to take their scores in the league final proved the difference between the sides and that is something Waterford will no doubt have worked on over the past few weeks.

Playing at home could make all the difference for the Déise, they are a side hungry for success and it is refreshing to see in the modern game. Spurred on by an enthusiastic home crowd and the possibility of a double Munster final involving the Waterford hurling & football teams could just see them over the finish line and into a first Munster final since 1960.

Verdict: Waterford by 2

Louth vs Kildare, LSFC quarter-final, Pairc Tailteann (Navan)
Louth are back in championship action less than two weeks after a hard fought win over Longford in Portlaoise, whereas Kildare are making their bow in this years championship.

The Wee County will have to show a vast improvement from their performance the last day and if the produce the kind of wayward shooting displayed against Longford, then they have no chance against a Lilywhites side who showed in a recent challenge game against Mayo that they have their shooting boots at the ready this season.

Changes are not expected to be made to the Louth team following that win while Kildare will be without Ken Donnelly, Mike Conway and Rob Kelly for the rest of the year, while it remains to be seen if last years All-Star midfielder Dermot Earley will be fit to last 70 minutes.

The tight pitch at Navan could well suit Louth and they pushed Tyrone all the way in the qualifiers there a few years back, but the Lilys will be looking to go all the way in Leinster this year and they should prevail.

Verdict: Kildare by 8

Wicklow vs Westmeath, LSFC quarter-final, O’Connor Park (Tullamore)
This is a repeat of last year's championship clash between the sides. On that occasion, Westmeath needed extra time to see off the challenge of the Garden County, but 12 months is a long time in Gaelic football.

Wicklow's confidence has risen as a result of last year’s historic run through the qualifiers and they easily swept aside Carlow in the first round. That game will have brought them on even further and they will be gunning for revenge on Sunday. In Leighton Glynn, they have a very influential captain who leads by example and if Westmeath are to win this match, then they will have to keep the shackles on the experienced wing forward.

To say Westmeath had a bad league campaign would be an understatement, no wins for the second year in a row, the loss of a manager and a players' revolt are just some of the problems that the Midlanders have had to deal with. Pat Flanagan, as top quality of a GAA coach as he is, has had little time to put things right, but he has been trying his hardest. The return of Dessie Dolan and Denis Glennon is a massive boost to them. However, this game may have come a little too soon for Westmeath and Wicklow are primed to progress to the Leinster semi-final.

Verdict: Wicklow by 5

Monaghan vs Armagh, USFC quarter-final, Casement Park (Belfast)
This should be one of that matches of this years championship. The Division 2 champions Armagh will believe they can go all the way in this year’s championship while Monaghan are seen as one of the underdogs and could go all the way in Ulster for the first time since 1988.

Armagh boss Paddy O'Rourke has received mixed news ahead of Sunday's game as it looks to have come too soon for Ronan Clarke, but Kevin Dyas cane through a recent challenge match unscathed and is available for selection.

The benefit of having already played in this year’s championship cannot be underestimated and should stand to Armagh. They were made to work hard against Derry three weeks ago and managed to get the job done, albeit not in an impressive fashion.

This is a massive campaign for the Farney County. A lot of their players have been knocking on the door for some time now and time may be running out for them. On paper, they are probably more experienced than Armagh at the moment and if they are ever to do anything in the province then this could well be the year.

Both teams had successful league campaigns and will be heading into this game with much confidence. A cracker could be in place in the city of Belfast.

Verdict: Monaghan by 2

World Cup 2010 - Group H

Spain

Switzerland

Chile

Honduras


Group Strength
La Furia Roja has been spared a nightmare scenario but being Spain at a World Cup they will no doubt still face some tough tests in the section. Ottmar Hitzfeld's Switzerland recovered from a poor start to their qualification campaign to top their listings ahead of 2004 European Champions Greece aswell as Israel. Meanwhile, Chile were only one point worse off than CONMEBOL section toppers, Brazil and are an exciting, dynamic prospect under coach Marcelo Bielsa, scoring 32 times in the qualification process. Honduras, back after 28 years to the world stage, are somewhat of an unknown quantity to a global audience but managed to inflict a 3-1 over Mexico during the CONCACAF qualification process and boast a number of impressive performers not to be taken lightly, particularly Spurs midfielder Wilson Palacios.

Group Favourites
Spain will certainly fancy their chances of topping the group with relative ease; nine eminently winnable points are on offer for the current world number two and European champions. Wins over Switzerland and Honduras could leave Spain with the enviable prospect of fielding an under strength side in the final match against Chile. With players like Xavi, Andreas Iniesta, Fernando Torres, David Silva and David Villa at their disposal Spain could go the whole way and should see this group as a warm up for tougher tests further down the line. Spain’s history at major tournaments, particularly the World Cup where they have never gotten past the ¼ final stage, could be their downfall but they should still qualify from this group with relative ease.

Battle for Second
Chile and Switzerland will both see themselves as favourites to qualify alongside Spain and are separated by only six places in the current world rankings. In Ottmar Hitzfeld the Swiss have one of the best coaches in the world, having won two Champions League titles with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, and will be looking to at least equal their two most recent world cup performances where they reached the second round at USA 94 and Germany 06. Chile, however, were the stars of the South American qualification rounds, finishing above Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay and just behind the number one team in the world, Brazil. The second match day fixture between these teams should decide who follows Spain into the second round and earns a fixture against Brazil. The tie really hinges on the players who perform best on the day for their country. For Chile Gary Mendel and Mark Gonzalez will be the main men while Hakan Yakin and Alexander Frei will be the men Switzerland will be pinning their hopes on.

The Outsiders
It would be unfair to label Honduras as rank underdogs in the section as they could have been handed a lot worse draw. However, the central Americans need to hit the ground running with a decent result against Chile on matchday one. It would be foolish to dismiss La Bicolor as no-hopers, boasting the likes of Wilson Palacios, David Suazo and Carlos Costly in their ranks. But I still believe the best they can hope for is a draw against Switzerland on the last day as the Swiss should have already qualified alongside Spain by then.


Going Forward
The runners-up in Group H will surely have a stern task on their hands in the knock-out round of 16. Brazil, Ivory Coast, Portugal and outsiders North Korea comprise Group G, with the top-placed team in that pool moving on to meet Group H's second best. Whoever finishes second will more than likely be taking on Brazil in the second round and should see their tournament end at that point, but Spain will fancy themselves against either Ivory Coast or their Iberian neighbours in the second round. Spain are the favourites to go all the way and win the tournament but in order to do this they must do two things for the first time. They must get past the ¼ final stage and they must become the first European team to win the World Cup outside of Europe. In order to do this they are going to have beat the likes of Portugal, Holland, Italy and Brazil along the way. They may have been handed a relatively easy group but once the knock-out stages begin Spain will have the toughest route of all. However, I still expect them to go far and at least reach the semi-finals.

Fixtures
Honduras – Chile, June 16th, (12.30)
Spain – Switzerland, June 16th, (15.00)
Chile – Switzerland, June 21st, (15.00)
Spain – Honduras, June 21st, (19.30)
Chile – Spain, June 25th, (19.30)
Switzerland – Honduras, June 25th, (19.30)

Prediction
1st – Spain
2nd – Switzerland
3rd – Chile
4th - Honduras